When Death Strikes
by ada69
Summary: Sequel to When Darkness Falls. I don't own ADJL or the characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Hidden in an abandoned warehouse just outside the city, the Huntsclan was busily preparing, reprogramming, and refurbishing their new lair.

Upon a group decision, the Huntsclan had found it best to leave their original lair. If they were going to plot their return, it would be much too obvious a place to do so. The Huntsman was almost certain that his former Huntsgirl had already leaked the location to the American Dragon. At the time, moving was the most logical thing to do.

It had been over a year since they had last showed their faces in public. They hadn't been back to the city since the day of their filthy dragon master's downfall. It was just too risky. They had only just changed locations a few months ago, and they had absolutely no intentions of switching again anytime soon.

They were just now starting to make progress. Connecting computers and other devices, receiving internet access, and many other things were being worked on at the current moment.

Other members of the Huntsclan were working on things like cleaning and organizing. When first entering the abandoned building a couple months prior, it had been a total disaster, and the smell had been nearly unbearable. Over the past couple of weeks, a lot of housekeeping had been completed. Cobwebs had been removed, broken boards had been fixed, and the thick layer of dust that had previously covered the floor was completely gone.

They had come a long ways in the past few months, in both organization and plot.

The crystal skull plan had backfired on them big time. The Huntsman didn't know how he could've missed the major flaws of the plan beforehand. He hadn't even stopped to think about what would've happened if the skulls had ended up in the hands of his enemy.

Of course, despite the obvious flaws, the plan would have gone smoothly if it hadn't been for Huntsgirl. The traitorous wretch would pay someday. He would have his revenge.

It mattered little anymore though, as he had found himself a new Huntsgirl. Though he could barely even remember her real name, she was very skillful in her fighting techniques and forms. Had he known how much talent she truly possessed, he would have replaced the old Huntsgirl with her years ago.

He wasn't quite sure yet how or when they would return. There was still much more to plan and do organizationally before he could even think about what their next move would be.

It could take a long time to come up with a plan. Unlike the last time, the Huntsman intended to be very careful in making the plan flawless.

All he knew for sure was that Huntsgirl was going to pay deeply for her treachery. Her and that dragon both.

**XX**

**Yay that sequel is up. ^_^ here is the prologue...i'll post the first chapter tomorrow night. Here's the thing: since i'm in school and a bit busier than i was over the summer, i'm updating this once a week...on fridays. I'm posting another fanfic within the next couple of weeks too, and that will be updated on tuesdays i believe. I'd have to check my calender to be sure on that. **

**I'm not at all where i'd like to be writing this so far, but i've been working on more than one fanfic remember :) **

**So anyways, update tomorrow, chapters already finished so its for sure. I'm kind of depressed that updates are really slow from everyone right now so hopefully getting this fanfic out there will make this next month go a little bit faster. **

**Thanks for your support!**

**~ada69**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: Current State**

In the year following the discovery of the magical world, much had changed. Unfortunately, the government hadn't taken the existence of magical creatures too lightly, and parents all over the globe were fearful for the lives their children, who often times had a class or two with a dragon or wizard.

Jake Long, now sixteen years old, pushed his way out the door of Fillmore High School and onto the bustling streets of New York. It was about mid-November, and the weather had just begun to change dramatically.

For only being 5:00 in the evening, the sun was almost completely out of eye sight. One of the things Jake hated most about winter was the unusually short days, and with school every day of the week, he never even got to see the light of day. When he went to school in the morning, the sun had not yet risen, and when he got out in the evening, it would already be dark again.

Jake walked quickly, zipping up his jacket to keep warm. The sidewalks were almost deserted, as many people found it more efficient to drive to work in the cold than to walk there.

While Jake had his driver's license, he actually preferred walking to driving on days like this. There was something about the unusual calmness of the streets this time of year that appealed to him.

Jake turned onto Canal Street. The brisk November breeze blew past him as he made a beeline for his grandfather's shop.

Jake swung open the door and stepped into the shop, warming up almost instantly. The heated shop felt so good in contrast to his freezing cold skin, still stinging from the cold.

Jake entered the back room to find everyone else patiently waiting for him. Their heads turned immediately at the sound of his footsteps.

"Hey, Jake," Spud smiled, "where ya been, buddy?"

"Sorry guys," Jake replied, "my community service meeting lasted a little longer than I originally thought it would," he plopped down on the couch.

"Bro, you know we got, like, three years till we graduate, right?" Spud asked. "Or wait…is it two? Two and a half maybe?" Spud held up his fingers to count. "Aww whatever it is it's a long way away."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Boy, I wonder bout' you sometimes."

"Well you can never get your hours done too early," Jake replied.

"True," Rose replied, "these days are just going to fly by," she said reaching out to touch his hand and pulling it back immediately like she had been burned. "Why are you so cold?"

"Ummm, gee I dunno maybe cause it's November!" Jake replied sarcastically.

"Maybe you should get gloves or something," Rose suggested.

Jake laughed in reply. "I can breathe fire. I think I'll be okay."

"Hey," Jake scanned the room quickly, "where is Grandpa?"

"Not sure," Spud replied, "said something about a new restaurant opening in Chinatown and left."

"Really?" Jake asked. "Grandpa usually doesn't skip dragon training to go out to dinner. But I'll take I guess," Jake shrugged. "Gives me time to get my homework done."

He swung his backpack off of his shoulders and pulled out his homework.

"Umm Jake?" Trixie waved her hand in front of his face. "Shouldn't you be doing dragon business instead of sitting around doing your homework?"

"Yeah, dude," Spud joined, "shouldn't you be patrolling the city or something?"

Jake sighed and looked up from the heavy text book on his lap. "What's the point?" He asked. "Even if some magical disaster is happening, it's not like I can do anything about it anyway."

When no one responded, Jake closed his text book and set it aside, transferring his attention to his hands.

Ever since the government had discovered the existence of magical creatures living among them, countless laws had been passed forbidding the use of magic in any public area. Countless numbers of dragons, wizards, and even quite a few humans had rebelled against the new laws, saying that there may be cases in which magic is necessary.

It was all too easy for the United States government to say that magical creatures could settle their quarrels in hiding, like they had been for thousands of years. But every dragon knew that that was no longer possible.

When humans finally stumbled upon the magical world, magical creatures found it utterly pointless to remain hidden. Now that their existence was known, goblins, trolls, and ogres of all sorts found it more efficient to stir up trouble out in the open. And when they did, if Jake wanted to stay out of legal trouble, there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

It simply wasn't fair, and many humans did not believe it was. But the majority of the human race refused to accept magical creatures into their world. They just couldn't quite grasp the concept that dragons were considered to be the protectors of the magical world.

Jake continued to stare at his hands deep in thought. He had never dealt well with change, and this was by far the biggest change he had ever had to face.

Jake was pulled out of his train of thought when Rose gently grabbed his hand and sat down next to him.

"I know things may seem hard right now," she said, "but they'll get better. You'll see," Rose smiled.

"I hope you're right," Jake replied, still not sounding fully convinced.

"Oh, come on," she smiled, "you've got lots of people who care about you. Like me, Trixie, Spud, you're family, Nigel, Fred…" her voice trailed off.

They all knew it had been coming, but that hadn't made it any easier. Only a couple weeks after the fall of the Dark Dragon, Fred had returned to Australia.

It was probably for the best. He hadn't seen his family in weeks.

Even though Jake wished that Fred could've stayed in New York for a longer time span, he was glad nonetheless that he and Fred had made up. And even though he was many miles away, the gang still kept in touch with him through email, texts, and phone calls.

Rose squeezed his hand, fully knowing what was going through his mind. "It'll get better," she repeated.

**XX**

**First off, thank you guys sooooo much for your support! My day really kind of sucked and u have no idea how much better your reviews made me feel. :) feel special guys. **

**Andrew: I kind of like that :) I may do that now...lol**

**Fudogg, Flowerstar, and Luiz4200: thanks for the reviews :)**

**Onej6: haha i doubt it since I don't even kno who the new Huntsgirl is yet! lol something i probably should've thought ahead. **

**thanks again for all the support :) next update on Friday the 8th**

**Till then,**

**ada69**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: Nightmare on 4****th**** Street**

School. The one and only challenge Jake Long had left in his life. As much as he hated it, he was grateful that the endless piles of homework he was forced to complete filled in the emptiness left by his detachment to the magical world.

He was beginning to regret ever hating his job as the American Dragon. Sure, it was difficult at times, but there were moments that made it all worth it.

He was just now starting to realize that you really don't know what you've got until it's gone. Sure, it was cliché, but it held a lot of truth.

And it really didn't help that the whole school treated him like he was some sort of terrible monster, ready to attack them at any given moment.

Yeah right. Like he was going to get himself thrown into jail just because he was in the mood to attack some random student roaming the halls.

On the positive side, Brad had backed down a little bit. Jake figured it was probably because he was scared of him. Everyone was. It just took him a month or two to realize how easy it would be for a fire breathing dragon to tear him to pieces. Knowing Brad, Jake figured that he only realized this because of the government bans that had surfaced in the past few months.

He picked up the pace at the sound of the warning bell, grabbing his books off of the floor and slamming his locker shut.

He turned to walk down the hallway, students of all ages scrambling out of his way when he came within three feet of them. He rolled his eyes and swung open the door to his classroom.

Sometimes he felt like he was alone in the world. Sure, he had his friends, but everyone else had simply turned their backs to him, refusing to accept him for what he was.

Jake shuffled straight to the back of the classroom and sat down in an empty desk far away from anyone else.

It was times like this that he wondered if things would ever be the same.

**XX**

Jake pushed the door open to the shop and walked inside. The school day had gone by surprisingly fast, and he was extremely grateful that it was a Friday. He had already made plans to hang out with Trixie and Spud that night and Rose on Saturday, the first time in months he'd be taking the time to go out and have fun.

The past year had taken its toll on his personality. He had matured greatly and learned to deal well with emotionally stressful situations.

Jake walked into the back room to find his friends and his grandfather gathered around the television, all wearing the same, ghostly pale expression.

"What-," Jake paused and walked closer to them, "what happened?" He felt the blood draining from his face. In truth, it didn't matter what had happened. There was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"There was an attack on 4th Street," his grandfather answered. "Twenty-two people were murdered at a local bar."

Jake's mouth dropped open. "Twenty-two? How is that possible? That had to have been a typo or something."

Lao Shi shook his head in response. "I do not think so."

"Do you think this ties into the magical world?" Jake asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Rose replied. "I don't know what other kind of force could be capable of that."

"Well, the government has already decided that it's our fault," Fu Dog rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," Jake laughed sarcastically in return, "like nothing bad ever happened before the discovery of the magical world."

"Well, try and tell them that, kid," Fu replied. "They've already got their minds made up about our kind. I'm surprised they let us have as much freedom as we do."

"Yeah dude," Spud added, "would if they kick you out of public school or something?"

"Well," Rose grabbed Jake's hand, "maybe we are all taking this the wrong way. I mean, if someone magical didn't cause all this to happen then who did?"

"We may never know," Lao Shi replied. "I sense that dark times lie ahead. All we can do now is prepare and hope for the best," he turned to walk out of the room.

Jake sighed and sat down on the couch, cradling his head in his hands. Within seconds, Trixie, Spud, and Rose did the same.

"If it wasn't for these stupid bans, I could've done something," Jake felt his voice trembled with anger.

"You don't know necessarily know that," Rose replied, touching his shoulder gently with her right hand.

"Yeah, Jakey," Trixie added, "why would you help out those morons running this country anyways?"

"It's not them I'm worried about," Jake replied, looking up to face his friends. "It's the people. I'm a dragon. It's my job not only to protect them, but now also to keep the peace between the human and magical worlds."

"I say don't worry about it, bro," Spud responded. "Just try your best. No one can ask for more than that."

An awkward silence followed Spud's words, allowing his them to sink in. In a way, Jake knew he was right. But all at the same time, he knew that it wasn't that simple. It would never be that simple.

"Hey, what's that?" Spud pointed to the reporter on the television. "Looks like they've got some new information."

"Turn it up," Jake replied urgently.

Spud grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"While the 4th Street murderer remains a mystery, authorities have released a few shocking pieces of evidence that may lead us to them," they heard the reporter say. "A local detective assigned to investigate the case found this symbol carved into the wall of the building under question."

An image popped up on the screen. The symbol shown was all too familiar. Something that Jake thought he would never have to see or deal with again. He took a step back, the horror of the situation written clearly on his face.

"The Huntsclan."

**XX**

**YAY for chapter 2! Almost didn't have time to write it…felt terrible last night and was busy making a poster for my mom tonight! Again with me doing all of my writing at night. LOL. **

**Thanks again for all the support! And just a quick reminder that I'm not perfect- I'm sure there are mistakes in here…heck, I write these things at 11:00 at night! There's bound to be mistakes! So I apologize for that. **

**Thanks for reading :)**

**~ada**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: A Plot to Avenge**

The Huntsman slammed his fist into the table before him, cursing underneath his breath before turning to face Huntsgirl once again.

"You did WHAT?" He screamed.

"Master, I can explain, I-"

"Huntsgirl, we went over this," her master cut her off. "We are not prepared to attack anyone at the moment. We haven't even devised a plan."

"It had to be done," the young Huntsgirl flipped her silky black hair nervously. "I have a plan. If you would only listen to me."

"And what exactly did you plan to accomplish by murdering twenty-two humans...,"his voice trailed off. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Tarah," she told him with a slight roll of her chocolate brown eyes, "my name is Tarah."

The Huntsman shook his head and set the newspaper he had been holding down on the nearest table. The girl standing before him had been chosen as the new Huntsgirl two months prior, and he still couldn't even remember her blasted name. Not that it mattered. He knew enough about her to realize that she was stealthy, clever, and persistent, all of which were traits necessary in order to fulfill her destiny as Huntsgirl.

"Master," Tarah continued, "If we continue attacking innocent people like this, it will eventually bring the dragons out of hiding. You and I both know that they are incapable of sitting back and watching humans be murdered."

The Huntsman thought about her words carefully before replying. "Yes, it would bring them out of hiding, but the true question is, what are we going to do with them once we get to that point? Like I said before, we haven't devised a plan yet."

The young Huntsgirl sighed. "Yes, master, but it may take time. Gradually, the dragons will come out of their hiding places, and by the time they do, our plans will be set."

The Huntsman looked around at his lair. They had come far in the past week or so, and they had just begun brainstorming a plot to lead to the permanent end of all magical creatures. Maybe his new Huntsgirl had a good point. Maybe it was best for them to start early and work their way up.

"Huntsgirl," he turned his attention back to the teenage girl before him.

"Yes master?"

"Do you have any suggestions as to how we will defeat the dragons?" He asked her. He knew just how clever she truly was and assumed she may have an idea or two of her own.

"Well," Tarah looked him boldly in the eyes, "what does the American Dragon value more than anything else in the world?" She asked. Blackmail had always been one of her favorite methods of attack. She was hard and cold as stone. Very little could ever get inside her head.

She watched intently has her master thought about her previous question.

Then it clicked. The Huntsman grinned evilly and turned back to the Huntsgirl.

"I think it would be best," he answered, "to kill two birds with one stone."

Tarah was confused for a few seconds, but then it came to her almost instantly where he was going to go with this.

"I've wanted my revenge on the former Huntsgirl for a couple of years now," he continued. "And now that she's involved with that, that filthy dragon," he spat, "all we need to do is capture one and we've got the other."

**XX**

"Why?" Jake paced the room impatiently. "Why would the Huntsclan kill twenty-two innocent humans?"

"Remember Jake," Trixie replied, "this is the Huntsclan we're talking about here. They're a bunch of heartless, coldblooded monsters."

"Well yes!" He practically screamed back in frustration. "But what could they possibly gain from this?"

"Looks like it worked to me," Fu Dog cut in.

When no one understood what he meant he continued. "Kid, how is the Huntsclan going to get to us with all these bans? We're hardly out of the shop anymore. We all agreed that we weren't going to put our freedom at risk unless we are dealing with a real life crisis."

"And two dozen humans getting murdered in a bar doesn't qualify as a crisis?" Jake felt the blood rushing to his face as he shouted.

"But Jake," Rose cut in, "that's just what the Huntsclan wants. They want us to go help so they can get to us."

"Ugh," Jake sighed in frustration. "Why is this so hard?" He sat back down on the couch next to his grandfather, who had returned after hearing about the Huntsclan.

"Young dragon," his grandfather rested a hand on his shoulder, "patience is a virtue. We will get our chance to make things right. Until then, we must simply prepare."

"Why can't we just face the Huntsclan?" Jake asked. "I mean, if we go help some poor person in need and they show up, we can take them. We've beat them before, and I have no doubt that we could do it again."

"Bro," Spud replied, "if you fight the Huntsclan, chances are that someone's going to hear. And if you get caught, then you're pretty much screwed."

Jake buried is faced in his hands. "And of course they could care less about being caught because they're human. If they get caught trying to kill us, people may falsely regard them as heroes."

"Hold on a minute," Trixie joined in, "doesn't the Huntsclan know where the shop is?"

"Yeah," Spud said, "can't they just come barging in and attack you guys at any given moment?"

"If that happens," Lao Shi replied, "then we will have no choice but to fight back. Like I said, we can do nothing but prepare for the worst."

"So I take it we are informing the council in the morning?" Fu Dog asked.

"We must," Lao Shi replied. "By tomorrow, it would not surprise me if they already heard about the Huntsclan's attack, but nonetheless, we need to talk things over with them."

Lao Shi looked deeply to his grandson's worried face and continued. "We will leave at dawn."

**XX**

**Chapter 3. :) Yay. Wrote half of this Monday night and half last night…was going to finish it Tuesday but got caught up watching them rescue the miners in Chile. Lol. Had to watch…history was made right there. :) Well, next chapter should be ready by Friday the 22****nd****. I'll be a little busy but that's okay. I am SERIOUSLY going to Chuck E Cheese tomorrow! ^_^ for my friends little bro's bday. Lol. Great stuff. **

**Anyways, thanks for your support and for reading! Please review!**

**~ada**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: Return to Draco**

Jake tumbled out of the elevator, closely followed by his grandfather, friends, and Fu Dog. He bent down on one knee, taking a moment for his eye site to clear up and for his feet to get used to the feel of solid ground.

"Damn it, I hate that elevator," Jake murmured as he finally stood up straight and took a look around at the island. It hadn't changed much since the last time he had come.

Jake turned around to look at his friends, who were leaning against a nearby tree for support.

He chuckled. "Can't say I didn't warn you guys."

"It's beautiful here though," Rose looked up for the first time since she had stumbled out of the elevator. "Definitely worth the ride."

"Yeah," Trixie added, "How come we've never been here before? I mean, we've been helping you out for how long now?"

Jake looked over to his grandfather and Fu Dog, who were now a good ten steps ahead of them. "To be honest guys," he replied, "I'm not sure how found the council is of humans."

The three stopped dead in the tracks. "It is okay that we're here though, right Jakey?" Trixie asked.

Jake nodded without looking over.

"Would about me?" Rose asked. "I used to be a dragon slayer for crying out loud!"

This time, Jake turned to face his friends. "Grandpa already talked it over with the council. If they didn't trust you, I'm sure they wouldn't even let us be friends. It will be okay guys."

"If you're sure," Trixie replied.

"So, are there always dragons here? Or do they only come for a summit?" Rose changed the subject.

"Actually," came a familiar voice from behind, "they come here whenever there's a problem back in their home land."

"Fred?" Jake turned around to embrace his old friend. "What are you doing here?" He smiled.

Fred quickly greeted Trixie, Spud, and Rose before replying. "Oh some phony bologna loch ness monster apparently is in the ocean. We're supposed to find it," he snorted. "How do you find something that isn't real?"

Jake laughed. "One thing I've learned in the past three years as the American Dragon is that anything can happen. Anything can exist. I wouldn't be surprised if you found it."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Waste of my time if you ask me. I should be in New York helping you."

Jake nodded his head at the ground. "Too bad you couldn't be. We could use the extra help right now."

"Yeah, sorry to hear about that," Fred replied. "I heard about the attack just this morning. Figured that's why you guys were here. I wondered when the Huntsclan was going to show their faces in public again," he continued. "But why?" he asked. "Why would they randomly walk into a bar and kill twenty-two humans?"

"We don't know," Jake replied solemnly. "That's what we're trying to figure out."

Jake glanced over his shoulder at his grandfather and Fu Dog, who were now waiting impatiently several feet in front of him.

"Sorry Fred, but we should really get going," Jake apologized turning to leave.

"Well, hopefully see you around then," Fred replied with a slight nod of his head.

"You bet," Jake waved back to him, "good luck with that…umm…loch ness monster thing."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I'll need it."

Jake and his friends said their final goodbyes before striding to catch up to Lao Shi and Fu Dog. The six walked in silence for a few minutes until they approached the main building.

They pushed the doors open and walked straight to the main hall, where the councilors sat unoccupied, almost as if they knew they were coming.

"Lao Shi," Councilor Andam rose from his seat, "we've been expecting you."

Lao Shi nodded in reply. "As I take it, you are all aware of last night's attack?"

Andam nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so. You've all got a difficult task ahead of you. The Huntsclan is definitely back."

"It was only a matter of time," Kulde added. "After they ran off last fall, we could only assume they were waiting for the right time to strike."

"So," Jake finally spoke, "what is it we're supposed to do?"

"That," Andam replied, "is for you to figure out. After all, it is your duty as the American Dragon."

"For now," Kulde stood up with Andam, "all we can do is wait. When the time comes, you will get to the bottom of this."

"Well," Andam sighed, "we appreciate you taking the time to come here confer with us. I wish all of you luck in the difficult journey that lies ahead."

"Thank you councilors," Lao Shi bowed his head slightly. He turned around and walked toward the exit, the others following closely behind.

"I don't get it," Jake spoke the words he had been smart enough to not say in front of the council. "What exactly is it we are supposed to be doing?"

"What else can we do," Lao Shi replied solemnly, "but wait."

**XX**

**Well, kind of short and seems kind of rushed but a chapter nonetheless. I have absolutely no excuses this time for writing this at 10:00 last night. So, I once again apologize for all grammatical errors and things of such nature. I don't really proof read this that well. Lol. **

**THANK you for reading :) and please review…and another thanks to those of you who have been…it's great to have support!**

**~ada**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: Suspicions Rising**

It had now been a full three weeks since the Huntsclan's attack on Fourth Street, and the media was just now beginning to calm down a bit. However, with one problem ending, another was always sure to start. New York had just received its first snow fall of the season, and temperatures were dropping by the day.

Jake, accompanied by Trixie, Spud, and Rose sat down at the Starbucks table silently. Few words had been spoken by the four in the past few weeks. Everything they could think to say was negative, and for this reason, they found it best to not talk at all.

Jake stared out the window dismally watching the gleaming white snowflakes flutter peacefully to the ground. He had personally always liked the snow. Sure, it was a pain at times, but it was so beautiful in a way that nothing else was. He just couldn't understand how very few people ever appreciated something so extraordinary and unique.

In a similar way, this was also the way he felt about the magical world.

"Hey guys," Spud broke the silence, "have you noticed that almost every car driving by is black?"

Jake took a moment to look over at his friend, who was, sure enough staring out the window in fascination.

"Um, no," Trixie replied suspiciously. "Why does it matter?"

"And do you guys realize that coffee is also black?" Spud sat up professionally as if to prove a point. He hastily removed the lid from his coffee cup before continuing. "Coincidence? I think NOT!"

Jake shook his head at his friend, but he couldn't help but smile a bit. In a world that was constantly changing, it was nice to know that Spud would always be Spud.

Jake felt his phone vibrate, and quickly set down his coffee to answer.

"Hello?"

"Kid?" Jake heard Fu Dog reply on the other line. He didn't know what could possibly be worth calling him for. Even if there was something wrong, there was little he would be able to do to fix it.

"Fu," Jake replied, "everything all right?"

"No, not exactly Kid," Fu Dog replied hoarsely. "There's been another attack."

"What?" Jake practically screamed into the receiver. "The Huntsclan again?"

"Yep," Fu Dog replied. "Just got the call a minute ago. It was some small shop on main street this time. I honestly think the Huntsclan is losing it."

"How many people?" Jake could barely find the strength to ask the question.

He could hear his friend sigh on the other line. "Only thirteen this time."

Jake took a moment to look over at his friends, who looked almost as concerned as he was. "We are on our way back to the shop. We should be there in ten minutes max," he assured him. Jake hung up the phone before Fu even had a chance to reply.

"Jake?" Rose spoke for the first time in an hour. "What are we going to do?"

Jake could sense the fear in her voice, and for this reason, he felt that he owed her an answer. Unfortunately, he hadn't a clue what that answer might be.

"I don't know Rose," he replied, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "But we have to do something."

**XX**

The Huntsman stood before his apprentice, clearly impressed with her efforts. Very few seventeen year old girls would be able to do what she had just done. Her cold, careless outlook on life was definitely something he could get used to.

To be able to walk into a shop and wipe out every single human in it was incredible. And to do it without leaving behind a trace of evidence other than the symbol of the Huntsclan made it even better. He was truly impressed with her recently. The upcoming mission was sure to be a success with her standing behind him.

Not all the details were set in stone, but he had a general idea of his new plan and what he needed. It was, in a way, very similar to the Crystal Skull idea, which was somewhat of a disadvantage to the Huntsclan. However, there were definite differences. Differences that would hopefully be the deciding factors in the final outcome this time around. If everything were to go according to plan, the fate of the entire magical world would be right in front of his very eyes.

It was then that he realized his assistant was still waiting patiently in front of him, awaiting his approval on the previous attack. "Well done, Huntsgirl," he praised her for her accomplishments.

Tarah bowed in return. "Yes master," she replied as the Huntsman turned around to leave.

"Master?" She called after him.

The Huntsman spun and took a few steps toward her. "Yes, Huntsgirl?"

"Should we plan to attack again anytime soon?" She asked.

The Huntsman thought deeply about her question before responding. "I'm currently plotting out the last of my plans. Soon, we will begin our search for the items we need. At this point, I imagine the dragons are ready to attack us at any moment," he paused for a brief moment to take a few steps closer to them. "In the mean time," he continued, "I think it best to focus on our plans rather than wiping out worthless humans."

Tarah nodded slowly. "And master?"

"Yes, Huntsgirl?"

"Is it true that you know where the dragon's headquarters are located?" She asked. "If so, then why don't we just attack them instead of trying to get them to come to us?"

"Because, Huntsgirl," the Huntsman didn't hesitate for a moment, "with all of the new laws being passed, it would be hard to attack them in public without getting into legal trouble. Remember, we want them to think that we mean well."

"When should we be prepared to go into battle?" Tarah asked her final question.

The Huntsman turned around, ready to walk away. "Soon, Huntsgirl," he answered with his back turned to her. "Very soon."

**XX**

** SORRY about no updates last week…I was a bit busy, and in addition, I've been slacking off in my writing these past couple of weeks and I needed to take a week to regroup. SOOOOO I apologize for my laziness and hope this chapter was a bit better! **

**No school today for me :D lol. works out well...i can spend the day writing! i guess it works out okay for you too then! **

**As always, thanks for reading! **

**~ada**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sarah: Thanks for the reviews! I would reply to you privately if I could. But seeing as I can't, I'll just thank you here. :) **

**Chapter 6: A Possible Lead**

Jake and his friends stood alongside Lao Shi and Fu Dog, somberly watching the highlights of the Main Street Massacre.

No one had spoken a word in the last ten minutes. Jake doubted that anyone could find the strength. He couldn't bear to sit back and watch innocent people be harmed any longer. It was killing him. Banned or not banned, he had an obligation as the American Dragon to protect those people, and he wasn't about to let them down.

"We must find out why the Huntsclan is doing this," Lao Shi broke the silence. "There must be a logical explanation to all of this."

"You're right," Jake sighed. "But how?"

"We must remain patient," his grandfather replied. "With time, the Huntsclan will grow careless. That is when we strike."

Jake banged is fist against the table in frustration. "I'm sick of being patient!" He yelled. "Those people out there that are being attacked don't have time for us to be patient!"

Lao Shi sighed. "I understand your frustration Jake, but please know that in the long run, patience is a weapon."

"Kid," Fu Dog spoke, "the old man is right. Why don't you and your friends try to relax and have some fun."

Jake sighed in defeat and looked out the snowy window with disgust. "Alright guys," he turned to face his friends, "let's get out of here." He started towards the door, motioning for them to follow him.

"Uh, one minute, Jake," Spud replied, "I have to put my shoes back on."

Jake rolled his eyes and leaned back against the cold, foggy window. It was still snowing, so any outdoor activity was out of the question. He supposed they could see a movie. Or perhaps visit the mall.

But somehow, it didn't feel right to him to be off shopping when the world needed him the most. Somehow, he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to enjoy himself in the least.

"Hmmm that's funny," Spud popped his head up over the couch. "I seem to have lost a shoe. Anybody see a white sneaker anywhere?" He asked.

Jake rolled his eyes. Leave it to Spud to lose a single shoe. "Spud," Jake was becoming agitated, "how do you lose a shoe?"

"I dunno," he replied, dipping down to look behind the trash can.

Jake let out a deep breath. "So where do you guys want to go?" He directed his attention toward Trixie and Rose.

"I say we just stroll around town and see what's happening," Trixie suggested. "I mean, it's more productive than just standing here like lawn gnomes and watching Spud search for his shoe," Trixie nodded her head causally toward Spud, who was now peering under the couch.

Spud plopped down in front of it in defeat. Then, a look of sudden realization spread across his face. "You know," he pondered, "I might have only worn one shoe."

**XX**

Fifteen minutes later, the four teens were walking causally down the sidewalks of New York, the light snowflakes fluttering down from the light gray sky.

"People are staring," Jake muttered quietly, keeping his head low and his hood pulled over his head.

"It's not like they can do anything to us," Rose replied. "At least we have that right," she slipped her hand into his.

"Still, we look like idiots wondering around aimlessly in the snow," Jake responded coldly.

"And since when do you care what people think?" She asked.

Jake shrugged, looking up for the first time since he had stepped outside. "Since people found out the truth."

When Rose didn't respond, Jake looked back down at the ground hopelessly. He blocked out all of his negative thoughts and concentrated carefully on the footprints printed carefully in the snow. He concentrated on the steady fall of the light, crisp flakes and the feel of the snow crunching beneath his feet as he walked.

In fact, he was concentrating so hard that he forgot to pay attention to where he was going, and the next thing he knew, he collided into the person in front of him, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Hey watch where you're going!" A familiar voice spoke.

Jake recognized the voice right away. A voice he thought he would never hear again. Immediately, he looked up to see the short, bucktoothed Huntsclan member standing before him.

"88 and 89?" Jake was taken back in surprise. "When did you cowards come out of hiding?"

"Well, look who it is, 88," the young boy snickered. "It's Rose and her boyfriend. Her _Dragon _boyfriend."

"That's right dragon," 88 spoke, "we're baaaaack!"

"And stronger than ever, I might add," 89 said.

Jake rolled his eyes, pushing 88 headfirst into the snow and lifting 89 up against the cold, brick wall with ease.

He tried with all he had to refrain from laughing at the young boy to the right of him, trying hopelessly to remove his head from the snow drift. Instead, he focused on the Huntsclan member quivering in front of him.

"P..pppl…eeease," 89 stuttered, "don't hurt me. I'll give you anything you want."

Jake loosened his grip on the young Huntsclan member, lowering him slowly back down to the ground.

"Actually," Jake replied, "I want you to tell me something."

"Anything," the shaking boy in front of him replied.

Jake took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye. "Do you know why the Huntsclan is attacking humans?"

"No," number 89 replied shakily.

"Don't lie to me," Jake growled through clenched teeth, pushing him harder up against the brick wall. "What is the Huntsman trying to accomplish? What is he planning?"

"I…I," he stuttered nervously, "I really don't know all the details. He doesn't tell us much being trainees and all."

"Then tell me," Jake looked down at him coldly, "what do you know? Tell me and I'll let you both go unharmed."

"Something about," 89 thought deeply for a moment before continuing. "I think he said something about Theravata. Some stones...something about…about the power of the magical world."

**XX**

**You know, it's technically still Friday. It's after 11:00 at night, but still, it's Friday. And I'm miserable right now. Picture this: Short blonde girl sitting in the darkness in front of her laptop, numb from the coldness and wrapped up in a snuggie. LOL. :D **

**Seriously, I can't feel my toes. Ugh it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Kill me now. And sorry I didn't update this earlier today…my laptop crashed twice…plus I just now wrote this chapter :P lol. Didn't proof read it that well so sorry for mistakes!**

**Also, does anyone else think it's a little sad that 88 and 89 don't have names? Lol. **

**~ada**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7: A Plea for Help**

Jake swung open the door to the shop and rushed inside, closely followed by Trixie, Spud, and Rose. Panting heavily, he stumbled past the curtain and came to a halt.

"Gramps, I-" he stopped mid-sentence when he realized that his grandfather was not alone. Standing still as a stone in the corner of the room were three, tall muscular men dressed in expensive black suits. He was slightly taken aback by their dark, cold eyes, which were now staring directly at him.

He figured he probably looked ridiculous running frantically into the shop and yelling out his grandfather's name, hair windblown and cheeks red from the cold. In addition, it probably didn't help that one of his friends was wearing only one shoe. They may have even looked suspicious.

Jake whirled around to face his grandfather and gave him a questionable look.

Lao Shi, however, looked away from him and fixed his eyes on the men in the corner.

The man with bald spot stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Good afternoon," he said in a monotone voice, "Michael Cole, FBI. You must be Jacob Long."

"Umm, yeah," Jake replied uncertainly. He couldn't help but worry that they had done something wrong. That they had been caught doing something magic related.

"Don't worry," the man read Jake's facial expression, "you aren't in trouble. We just need to ask you a few quick questions, and then we will be on our way," he assured. "Now, Jacob, I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I need you to answer to the best of your abilities."

"Okay?" Jake replied awkwardly. "What is it you need to know?"

"Are you or are you not the dragon specifically designated to protect the United States of America?" Baldy asked.

"Am…am I allowed to talk about this?" Jake asked, the concern clearly written on his face.

"As I said before, Mr. Long, we are the FBI," he replied. "Any questions we ask may and must be answered, or there may be dire consequences."

Jake tried to ignore the intimidation in his voice and took a deep breath. "Yes," he replied calmly, "yes I am."

The man almost seemed to have ignored his answer, as if he knew what Jake would say before he had even replied. "Do you have any idea whatsoever who is behind the recent New York attacks?" The man continued.

Jake was now close to panic. He had no idea what questions he was allowed to answer honestly and what questions he should bend the truth to answer. Feeling his hands begin to shake, he curled them up in a fist and shot a quick glance at his grandfather. Jake made eye contact with him briefly, he knew right away what he needed to do.

"Not…conclusively," Jake lied, choosing his words cautiously.

"Mr. Long," Jake felt the bald guy's cold, dark eyes drilling into his. "If you have any guesses, any ideas at all of who might be behind these attacks, it is crucial that we know."

Jake was now trembling terrible. To lie was one thing, but to lie to the FBI was something else entirely. He could get in deep trouble for this. He could cause the bans against magic to shoot up like a firework if he made one wrong move.

Jake watched as Baldy turned toward the two agents standing directly behind him and snapped his fingers expectantly. The man to the left pulled a folded up piece of paper out and handed it over to the bald man.

Jake watched carefully as the man unfolded it and held it inches from his face. "Tell me, Mr. Long," he said coldly, "do you have any idea what this symbol means."

Jake stared at the Huntsclan symbol blankly, now well aware of the fact that he was going to have to get out of this situation on his own. After all, it was his responsibility as the American Dragon to make the decisions that were best for the country as a whole. With those intentions in mind, he knew what his answer must be.

"Yes," Jake's voice came out in a whisper.

Jake tried his best to avoid eye contact with his grandfather as the bald man folded up the piece of paper and stuck it back in his suit.

"Well then," the agent continued, "tell me then, Jacob Long. What does it mean? Do you know who is attacking and where they can be found?"

Jake took a deep breath and shot an apologetic look to Lao Shi before continuing. "It's the symbol of the Huntsclan," Jake confessed. "They're a group of dragon slayers bent on destroying the magical world."

For the first time in the last few minutes, Jake looked up to make eye contact with the man standing before him. "I don't know why they are attacking humans, and I have absolutely no idea where their headquarters are."

The man glanced down at his watch casually before continuing. "Are you telling us absolutely everything you are aware of, Mr. Long."

"Yes Sir," Jake replied confidently.

The man stared him down coldly for a few seconds before replying. "Very well."

"Mr. Long," the agent called out his name once more, "we are under strict orders from the President of the United States to be here right now, and from the information we have received, we have a request of you."

Jake stared at him suspiciously. He had told these men all he knew. What more could they possibly want?

"This was a difficult agreement to reach," he continued, "but the reason we have come here is to ask you for help."

Jake gawked back at him speechless. "What do you mean 'help'?" Jake felt the anger building up inside of him. "We can't help. We can't do anything because of you!"

"I understand that, Mr. Long, but desperate times call for desperate measures," he replied strongly.

Jake laughed coldly at his plea. "And what makes you think we should help you? What makes you think we'll be able to figure this out when you can't?"

"Because," the man's eyes pierced deep into his soul, "innocent people are dying."

**XX**

**Well, once again, still Friday guys. :) I should warn you though, if I randomly don't update some Friday, I'm beginning to become very busy. Just so you know. **

**And it's unlikely that I will update next Friday, with Thanksgiving on Thursday and all. I'm probably going to be all over the place with family and such. **

**So HAPPY HAPPY Thanksgiving in advance!**

**~ada**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8: The Tale of the Theravata **

After the men had left, an unsettling silence filled the shop. Jake sat on the couch in a mix of anger and confusion. The way things were going, he doubted that there would ever be peace between the magical and human worlds. It was flat out wrong for them to ask for their help. Especially given the way the magical community had been shunned.

Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Jake looked up to see the same, solemn expression written on the face of his grandfather. It almost seemed like the whole world was beginning to fall to pieces.

"Gramps," Jake snapped out of his thoughts quickly when he remembered why he had come back, "we ran into 88 and 89 just a few minutes ago."

"What?" Fu Dog jumped down from the couch. "Those two yahoos are back with the Huntsclan?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point," Jake replied hastily. "They mentioned something about the Huntsclan's plan."

Lao Shi's eyes shot up instantly to look his grandson in the face, "Tell us Jake," he replied solemnly, "what exactly did they say?"

Jake looked back at his friends, who were standing awkwardly near the door. He had almost completely forgotten they were there.

"They said something like," Jake closed his eyes in attempt to remember what had happened, "something about some stones."

"And someone named Theravata," Spud added.

"Right," Jake nodded his head toward his friend, "something about Theravata. I don't think they knew exactly what was going on."

"Theravata is not a person," Lao Shi corrected, "it is three people. The Theravata are three of the most important people in magical history."

From the expression written on his grandfather's face, Jake knew that whatever it was the Huntsman was after would be devastating if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

"Well what could the Huntsclan possibly want with them?" Jake asked curiously.

"Enough questions, kid," Fu Dog cut in. "You're gonna have to hear the whole story to understand."

"YAY!" Spud ran over and sat down on the floor. "It's story time!"

Trixie and Rose shrugged and sat down next to him, and eventually Jake moved off the couch and to the floor too.

When everyone was ready, Fu Dog cleared his throat and began.

"The Three Theravatas, three magically bound sisters, are considered to be the founders of magic itself. The first recorded magic was of them, though no one knows exactly how magic came about."

"Hold up," Jake interrupted, "how do they know the first magic came from them?"

"Just shut up and listen to the story," Fu snapped before continuing.

"The Theravata believed that magic had been around as long as time itself, and had just been waiting to be discovered and controlled by those who would believe."

"While Aleigha, Aerah, and Audmira Theravata were gentle and loving as anyone, they were constantly on the run. Many believed they contained dark, powerful magic, and that they had the intentions of taking control of the world."

"They were accused of witchcraft, which wouldn't be a lie, but the Theravata found nothing wrong with the way they were living. They fell peacefully into step with the rest of the world. And so they continued to use the magic that they loved and discovered."

"However, there came a time when it was thought by all near and far that the three were nothing but pure evil, sent forth from the devil to gain control over the human race. The whole world was looking to find and kill them."

"Well that's just not fair," Spud interrupted. "If I saw someone levitating a tree branch or whatever I'd want to learn too."

Spud caught Fu Dog's glare and fell silent.

Fu Dog cleared his throat. "Anyhow, at this point, two of the three agreed that it was best to transfer their magically abilities into an inanimate object, as no one else contained such powers. They were to hide these objects well, in a place where it was nearly impossible for anyone to find. The object they chose was a simple stone. This way, their magic could live on forever rather than be destroyed with their deaths."

"The youngest of the sisters disagreed strongly with this plan. She felt that if the stones were hidden, no one would ever discover the power of magic. However, she was outvoted by her older sisters."

"And so, for the last time, they used their magic to create something completely unique in which they could contain this secret. A place to hide the magical stones where someone who looked to destroy it would not guess to look."

"Have you ever heard of a blue lake?" Fu asked.

"Bsh, yeah," Jake replied. "It's just a color. Aren't all lakes blue?"

"It doesn't refer to the color of the lake, but rather its properties. They have naturally rising springs and are very rare. Geologists still study to figure out how these lakes were formed, but it does them no good," Fu answered.

"What they will never know is that it was by magic and magic alone that they were created. There are three of these lakes; one for each of the Theravata in which they placed their stones in the deepest point of the lake they created."

"Aleigha Theravata, being the eldest, created her lake first. She chose to create her lake in Canada, and she named it Lake Kyodo, meaning strength. Today, however, the lake is known as Lake Louise."

"Aerah Theravata, being the middle sister, went second. Together, the three traveled to Switzerland, where she created Lake Utsukushii, meaning beautiful. It was later renamed Lake Geneva."

"Reluctantly, Audmira Theravata agreed to do the same. She chose to put hers in an area in which no one lived at the time; the upper middle of what is now the United States of America. She named her lake Kanashimi, meaning sorrow, as this is how she felt. Today, this lake is better known as West Lake Okoboji."

"So do people actually live by these lakes?" Jake asked.

"Oh yeah, kid," the Shar Pei replied.

"So the Huntsman's after these stones, then?" Rose asked.

"Correct," Fu replied, "They fuel the magical world. Without them, there is no us. Every single bit of what makes me a talking dog or Jake a dragon comes from these stones. If they were ever found and destroyed, the magical world would seize to exist."

The group fell silent at the sudden realization of how serious this was.

"What beats me is how the Huntsclan ever found out about this," Fu added. "The council gave us strict orders not to teach our students of these stones and the origin of magic anymore. It's just too dangerous that they could be found and fall into the wrong hands."

"Thankfully," Lao Shi cut in, "like the skulls, they can only be destroyed together. They are intertwined. Three parts to the same whole. Therefore making it impossible to destroy them separately."

"So all we need to do is find one," Jake stated.

"Correct," Fu replied.

"Well the good news is that we hacked the Huntsclan's email system and found out they are headed for Switzerland," Fu added.

Lao Shi looked up somberly. "We will be leaving for Canada first thing tomorrow morning."

***Hides in corner in expectation of getting beat up.* **

**Ummm hi guys! Omg it's been over a month since I've updated! Wow. I'm really sorry about that. I've been really really busy. You have no idea how hard it was for me to sit down and write this chapter. **

**This is always the worst time for me. **

**Did you know that Theravata is a type of Buddhism? Hmm…well it is. Lol. And the lakes mentioned do actually exist. Anyone ever been to any of them? And there is such thing as a blue lake and the lakes listed are in fact the only three in the world. I read that somewhere and thought it would work out nicely into my fanfic :) **

**No promises as to when the next update will be. I can't tell you to be honest…I'm still really busy. With basketball season and all. **

**Till then,**

**~ada**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9: Journey to Lake Louise**

Nearly fourteen hours had passed since the discovery of the Huntsclan's plan and the stones of the Theravata. Though it was only 7:00 in the morning, the gang had been traveling for nearly two hours. According to Fu Dog's estimations, it would take them just about a day and a half flying to reach the lake.

Though they were hurried, they managed to pack well in advance, double checking to make sure they had everything they needed for camping in adverse weather conditions and scuba diving in a freezing cold lake.

"You guys okay back there?" Jake asked, turning his head to look back at Rose and Trixie, who were bundled up in blankets and coats on his back. In contrast, Spud and Fu Dog were being flown by Lao Shi.

"A little cold but we'll be okay," Rose shouted back. With the biting wind blowing back into their faces, it was hard to hear each other speak.

It had only been two hours, and Jake was already beginning to feel tired. With the stress of the coming day, he had not gotten much sleep the previous night.

Fu had the schedule all planned out. They were to stop and take a break around noon to eat a quick lunch, and then they were to continue traveling till around 5:30 or whenever it was that the sun would set. They all agreed together that given the circumstances, it was better not to travel in the dark.

Thankfully, as the day progressed and the group moved onwards towards Canada, the winds began to die down a little, allowing for a more productive conversation.

"So Gramps," Jake turned to face his grandfather, who was flying just to the right of him, "what exactly would happen to us if these stones happened to be destroyed?"

"If the stones were destroyed, then all of the things that make us magical would be destroyed along with them," he replied.

"Putting it simply kid, if the stones are destroyed we're just normal," Fu added. "For example you and Gramps would just be ordinary humans."

"Okay," Jake replied slowly, still deep in thought. "But would about leprechauns and unicorns and magical creatures of that nature? They really don't have anything that strictly makes them magical, do they?"

"Well," Fu Dog contemplated his question carefully, "in a way they do. Unicorns, for example, have a substance in their horns that is stronger than any steel known to man. That's magical. If the stones were destroyed, then that quality would be destroyed along with them."

"Sometimes, it's just simple stuff like that, and other times, it's much bigger more important stuff," Fu added. "Like, for example, it would be a really big deal if I lost the ability to talk."

"Heaven forbid…," Jake mumbled rolling his eyes.

"Hey," Fu Dog shot back, "don't act like you wouldn't be devastated."

"Right," Jake replied sarcastically. "So what's the Huntsclan gonna do once they've destroyed these things then? Are they still gonna want to slay us? I mean, they do realize that this won't kill us, right?"

"They fully realize that," Fu answered, "but think about it Jake; it's gonna be much easier for them to do once we are powerless."

"But," Jake shot Fu a look of confusion, "if we aren't dragons anymore then what's the point in slaying us?"

"Think of all the trouble we've caused him," Fu replied. "In the mind of the Huntsman, we are and always will be magical creatures, even if we do lose our power."

Fu sighed. "As long as we get at least one of these stones, we're going to be okay. At least, he'll have to fight us for it."

"And as far as we know, the Huntsclan has no knowledge that we are also after the stones of the Theravata," Lao Shi added. "They will not be expecting us."

"So," Jake decided it was time to change the subject, "where exactly is this lake?"

"The province of Alberta," Fu Dog replied, "in a town called Lake Louise, actually."

"Oh how original," Jake muttered.

"Sounds like someone's a bit crabby today," Trixie joined the conversation.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Jake replied sarcastically. "Maybe if you got up at 4:30 this morning and had been flying around all day you wouldn't be in the greatest mood either."

"So anyways," Jake focused his attention back to the lake, "does this lake look special or anything? Different from the other lakes in the world?"

"Maybe, kid," Fu replied. "I've been there once or twice and it's a marvelous sight, but just because it's magical doesn't mean it's gonna be the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. It actually depends on the creator."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked.

"Well," Fu Dog began another explanation, "for example, Aerah Theravata valued the true beauty in things, so she created her lake to be naturally beautiful. If you ever get the chance to go to Switzerland and see it, you'll know what I mean."

"So then what was Aleigha's most well known trait?" Jake asked.

"Well, being the oldest, she was kind of the leader in a way," Fu chose his words carefully. "So, her most valued trait in a human being was their strength, emotional and physical."

"Okay," Jake replied, somewhat confused by the response. "How can a lake look strong?"

Fu Dog sighed. "Honestly kid, when we get there, you'll understand what I mean. Just understand that Lake Louise reflects the personality of its creator."

Jake shook his head in frustration and took a look at his surroundings. He hadn't the slightest clue where they were and how to get to Alberta, but he trusted Fu Dog to lead the way. As the morning had progressed, he felt the temperature began to rise. It was no longer below zero, but it was still dangerously cold.

"At least you can see the sun," Rose thought aloud, almost as if to read Jake's mind.

Looking up, he realized she was right. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Jake smiled. He couldn't even remember the last time he had seen the sun. It seemed that the world was always clouded. Especially his world.

"I don't know," Jake turned his attention back to Fu Dog. "This whole thing about the creation of magic seems kind of weird. I mean, do we have any record that this actually happened?"

"Kind of," Fu Dog replied, choosing his words carefully. "What we know has been passed down from stories and legends, but if there is one thing we know for sure, it's that these stones exist, and that terrible things will happen if they are ever destroyed."

Lao Shi sighed. "I think it would be best if we took a short break."

**XX**

**YAY Friday update! Yay yay yay! I told you guys I would try hard! But I've been going through some…some stuff…lol. And whenever that happens, writing makes me feel better. Sucks for me, but good for you guys! **

**Umm yeah. The fanfic. Well, this chapter was mainly to gain a little bit more of an understanding as to what these stones do and the background behind them. Sorry if it bored you to death, but I think it's essential to add this to the fanfic. **

**As always, sorry for all grammatical errors. I tend to miss them when I reread the chapter. **

**Anyways, thank you for all reviews and support! **

**~ada**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10: A Break in the Action**

After a long day of nothing but flying, the gang decided to call it a day and set up camp in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Because the break for lunch had lasted no more than 10 minutes, Jake felt exhausted, having flown for almost twelve hours.

It was almost 5:30, and the sun was barely visible beyond the horizon. For some strange reason, Jake was against camping out in the middle of nowhere. He felt that it made them completely vulnerable to be alone in the middle of nowhere. Especially in a place that they did not know very well. However, his grandfather had insisted that they would be safe, as no one knew of their hunt for the stones of the Theravata.

Still, there was almost something surreal about their current setting. They had set their camp up half way up the side of a mountain so they would have a good overview of the forest below. This way they would know instantly if anything strange was going on.

By now, the wind had completely died down, and it had been replaced by an almost unbearable silence. It seemed almost too quiet, especially compared to the bustling streets of New York City.

Jake quietly finished helping his grandfather set up the tents and get a fire going before throwing his belongings on a nearby tree stump.

"Hey Gramps?" Jake asked, taking a chance to zip up his coat.

"I'm gonna go look around a bit, okay?" His breath clearly visible as he spoke. "You know, just to make sure there is nothing around here that could potentially put us in danger," he added. It wasn't a total lie, but the truth was that he just needed a little time alone and a little time to walk again on solid ground.

After his grandfather nodded, Jake turned and walked off into the dense forest. He sighed with relief. It felt good to be on his feet again and give his wings a rest. It felt good to be in his human form again. And most of all, it felt good to just be alone.

Growing up, he'd always liked night over day. The day just always seemed so busy and bustling, with everyone trying to get from here to there. He felt like night was something he could have all to himself, and here, in what he assumed was Canada, he couldn't even hear a sound in the distance.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, Jake reached a large, open field. It wasn't huge, but it was big enough where he could stand in the dead center and look up without the trees blocking the night sky from clear view.

Shrugging, Jake decided he might as well stop here for a minute or two. He sat down on the snowy terrain and leaned back to get a view of the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. There hadn't been all day, and that was one of the few bright sides to the long flight. He had always been one to like a clear and sunny day.

And now, looking up, the only thing he could see were stars. First just a few, then slowly his eyes began to adjust, and he swore he could see thousands, all shining bright overhead. He'd never seen this kind of thing in New York before. Before now, he thought it was just because of the air pollution and city lights. But as he continued to stare up at the night sky, he began to form a new theory. Perhaps they had always been there, but he just hadn't taken the time to look.

"Have you ever seen so many before?" A voice came behind.

Jake looked back to see Rose standing just a few feet behind him, looking simply stunning in the moonlight. He must've been too absorbed in his thoughts to hear her walking towards him. And damn, how did she always know exactly what he was thinking? Sometimes it creeped him out more than it impressed him.

Instead of replying he made a motion for her to come and sit next to him. Only after she sat did he speak.

"Were you worried about me?" Jake asked.

"No," Rose replied somewhat confused. "You've been gone for two hours, and it's getting late so you should probably get back to camp now."

"Two hours?" Jake asked. "It doesn't seem that I've been gone that long.

Jake stared back up at the sky, and when she didn't reply he added, "So in other words you were worried about me."

"A little," Rose smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Eh," he shrugged playfully, "I guess not."

"So," Rose changed the subject off of her, "what's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Jake replied suspiciously. "Why?"

"Well," she hesitated, "you seem a little distant. Girls can just tell these things you know."

"Well aren't you special," Jake smiled.

Rose rolled her eyes. "But seriously, Jake, what's bothering you?"

Jake hesitated, looking away from her for a brief moment. After debating whether or not to admit his doubts, he decided that he could trust her.

"I'm just," he struggled to find the right words, "doubting that all this is going to work out. Between the conflict between the human and magical worlds and this whole thing with these stones, I don't know if I can take much more."

Rose nodded understandingly. "We'll make it through this. In all odds, this will all be over and done with in five years. Let's just make the most of what we have and focus on the task at hand. Right now that's finding this stone and stopping the Huntsclan."

"The Huntsclan," Jake repeated, "that's another thing," he paused to look away from her. "I'm worried they are going to try to hurt you. Especially after betraying them and all," he admitted.

"Oh, so it's okay for you to worry about me but not for me to worry about you?" Rose asked jokingly.

"Well what were you worried about?" He asked. "Me getting lost in the woods? I'm worried about you getting hurt. Or even worse getting killed."

Rose didn't reply. She knew he was right, but didn't have the heart to say it. She didn't want him to feel any worse than he already did. And on a night his peaceful and quiet, why look on the negative side of things?

"We should get back to the camp," she changed the subject, suddenly remembering why it was she came.

"Yeah," he replied slowly, taking one last look at the peaceful night sky before standing up.

He held out his hand to help Rose up and pulled her into a tight embrace. He noticed right away that she felt extremely cold, but he figured it was probably just because he was always warm. It was something that came along with being a dragon and having the ability to breathe fire.

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards camp.

"What would I do without you?" He asked, letting out a small laugh.

"Probably perish in burning hot lava," Rose replied smiling.

Jake rolled his eyes and pulled her with him into the thick, bare forest. After walking a few steps, he realized how tired he really was. All of the flying and the walking had worn him down a lot over the course of the day. At this point, he was happy to be heading back to camp to get some rest.

"So," Rose pushed her way through the trees, "do you think Fu Dog really knows where we're going?"

Jake laughed. "Not a chance."

**YAY another chapter updated! YAY YAY YAY! I am doing much much better! Kind of another pointless little chapter here. A filler as some might say. But hey; character building is important stuff people. No character building and you don't really even care what happens to the characters. Lol. **

**Also on a little side note I've been asked by JakeRoss2 to inform you all that he is taking a short break from fanfiction…but not to worry if you are one of the people reading his fanfics… he will be back eventually. **

**And also, we are starting our research papers in my literature class and that is very very time consuming (if you remember me complaining about it last year when we had to do it. Lol. wow i've been writing for a year? almost...march i think? anyways...) so if I randomly disappear again, that is partially why. That and basketball combined. Hopefully I can get a couple chapters ahead and have a bit of a safety cushion there. **

**I think I might have been high when I wrote this. Just reading through it again almost made me fall asleep. Goodness if you think it sucks now, you should have read it before I fixed it! But it's also very late. A long day with basketball and all. So... yeah. **

**Umm yeah I think that is pretty much it… happy weekend! **

**~ada**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11: At Lake Geneva **

Tarah sat at near the water's edge, looking out at the lake. If she weren't so cold blooded and focused on the task at hand, she might have actually enjoyed the sight. The lake was blue. And not just the murky greenish-brown appearance most lakes had. It was bright blue, and it was clear enough to use as a mirror.

For once in her life, she felt like she was looking at something truly beautiful. Being in the Huntsclan, she rarely got to experience moments like this. Moments when she questioned who she was. Moments when she questioned what she was doing and why. In a way, she also hated moments like this. They made her look back on her life with regret and think about what it would have been like to be a normal girl.

But she always pushed those thoughts out of her head quickly. She despised dragons, and she intended to murder each and every one with her own bare hands as soon as the Huntsman failed once and for all. In addition, if the Huntsman ever found out she was having second thoughts, she would be gone in a heartbeat. After what happened with his last apprentice, he wouldn't take any chances.

Thus, she tried carefully never to let her feelings show. Eventually, she'd become a hard, empty shell of nothingness. But she didn't care. Now, being a bitch was all she knew.

She was pulled out of her deep thoughts by a loud rumble off to her left, and she looked over to see the Huntsclan using all sorts of complicated tools to locate the stone in the bottom of the lake.

The Huntsman stood nearby "supervising", which to Tarah was another word that meant making other people do all the work for you and keeping the glory to yourself. Then again, she would have done the same thing. Only better.

Tarah rolled her eyes before looking back out across the lake. She knew what she was capable of, and she knew she wasn't going to get it accomplished in the Huntsclan.

She continued to sit there unmoving until the Huntsman called her forward.

Immediately, she sprung up from her place by the lake and walked toward him.

"Yes, master?" Tarah bowed before him.

"I recently received word back from New York that there has been another attack on the civilians," he told her. "But since we are here, in Switzerland, you could not have possible been the attacker," he stated. "Do you have any idea who might have done it?"

Tarah stared back at him in shock. Another attacker in New York? Was someone trying to frame her or something? Were they trying to steal the credit for her accomplishments?

"No master," Tarah replied shakily, "I have no idea."

"Very well, Huntsgirl," he folded his hands behind his back. "The probable possibilities are endless. If something of the nature happens again, you will look further into it. Do I make myself clear?" He asked.

"Yes, Huntsmaster," Tarah replied turning to leave.

"Huntsgirl," Tarah turned back around at the sound of her name. What else could he possible need to ask her?

"I have a feeling that the information of our whereabouts and plans has been leaked to magical community, particularly the American Dragon," he replied coolly. "My spies in New York have told me that they have not seen the dragon or his filthy dragon master enter or leave their headquarters in a few days."

Tarah nodded, pretending to care. In her mind, she knew this whole plan was a disaster. She seemed to be the only one that knew the full potential of dragons. How clever they truly were. Her master underestimated them greatly, and that had resulted in plan after plan failing.

There was no way he would ever accomplish what he wanted; the destruction of magical creatures. His methods of doing so were useless and ineffective. She could single-handedly do better on her own.

"So what do we do, master?" Tarah asked, though she had no doubt that he had a plan thought through well enough to work.

"The stones cannot be at their full potential until they are united," he replied. "Three united sisters, three united stones. It's as simple as that," he added.

He looked out on the lake at the Huntsclan members hard at work and smiled evilly.

"If the American Dragon is after one of the other stones, all we need to do is meet at the last destination. There, we will fight. There, we will gain possession of all three stones. They shall be destroyed, and magical creatures will be left powerless. Easier for the taking," he looked out in the distance.

"I'll have my spies locate the American Dragon and his grandfather," he said. "We'll find out which lake they are at, that way, we will know where they are headed next."

"It'll be a race to the finish line."

XX

In a small grouping of trees nearby, two hooded figures stood observing every move of the Huntsclan. The sun continued to set slowly until all that was left of the Huntsclan was silhouettes in the distance.

"So they are after the stones," the smaller of the two figures said. "My stones."

"And so they are," the larger figure smiled underneath his darkened hood.

"They'll never succeed," the smaller female added. "Not without the book."

"Indeed so," the male's smile widened. "Don't worry my loyal servant. Your stones will be ours for the taking. My sources tell me the American Dragon is headed for Lake Louise, Canada. Therefore, they will run into the Huntsclan at the third destination."

"And that is where we make our appearance," he added. "Okoboji, Iowa."

XX

**Well, sorry for not updating last week. Stuff happened. Lol. And actually stuff happened this week too…came down with the flu on Monday. At that point, with all the makeup work I had to do, I figured I wouldn't get to update this week either. BUT I just sat down and wrote it! Thursday night at 10:00. Lol. I'm such a procrastinator. But hey; at least I updated! And tried really hard to make time to do so! **

**So be happy okay? Lol. **

**Well, I wrote this really really really fast. Like in less than an hour. So expect mistakes. And I'm awfully sorry about that. **

**~ada**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12: Arrival and Search**

"It's so pretty," Rose stared out across the lake. "Such an interesting shade of blue."

"Maybe that's why it's called a 'blue' lake, "Jake offered.

They had arrived at Lake Louise right on schedule, and Lao Shi was getting some tools and devices ready before they began their search.

In the mean time, Jake, Rose, Trixie, Spud, and Fu Dog were staring at the lake and its surroundings in awe. Or at least, the parts of the lake that weren't covered in ice. Wintery blue mountains surrounded the lake on all sides and reflected back in visible areas of water. A fairly large resort sat off to the other side of Lake Louise, and a town sat nearby.

"I could see myself living here," Trixie said. "Other than the cold of course."

"Yeah," Jake added, "it's even colder than New York in the winter time!"

The brief conversation was followed by an awkward silence, as were all conversations based off the weather.

"So," Jake broke the silence and looked back at his grandfather, who was talking to someone on his cell phone, "what's gramps doing over there? What tools do we need exactly?"

"Well kid, do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" Fu replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jake asked.

"Do you wanna go swimming in a frozen lake and freeze to death searching for the stone for the rest of the day or do you wanna get it over and done within fifteen minutes?"

"Definitely the second one," Jake replied quickly. "So what do these things do to make it easier?"

"This," Lao Shi cut in from behind holding up a small device that closely resembled a scanner you would find at Target, "will help us find the stone. Or rather not the stone, but the single deepest point in the lake, where the stone will be located."

"Wow," Jake nodded in reply, "couldn't these witches or whatever they were come up with a simpler way to hide these stones? Perhaps someway a little less…wet?"

"SILENCE!" Lao Shi yelled, beginning to lose his patience. He knew they had a lot to get done and little time to work with.

"Alright," Jake continued after his grandfather's outburst, "so we find this deep point with the shopping scanner thingy and cut through the ice blah blah blah blah blah whatever, right? So then how do I get to the bottom? Obviously it's going to be unbearably cold and it would take me a week to float all the way down there."

"That is why we have this," Lao Shi held up another magical device of some sort, this one looking more like a spinning top.

"All we need to do is place it in the water, and it should float," Fu dog elaborated on the purpose of the strange device. "We turn it on, it spins, and it cuts through the water and forms a swirling spiral, leaving a spot for you to simply go down and get the stone without even getting wet."

"Awesome!" Jake replied pumping his fist in the air. "Magical devices rock!"

Lao Shi rolled his eyes at his grandson. "We better begin. We don't have much time. We must find these stones and get back to New York as soon as possible."

"Why?" Jake asked. "What's the rush?"

Lao Shi hesitated, debating if it was the proper time and place to bring up the current situation. After a few seconds of thought, he decided to tell the truth. "I received a call a few minutes ago," he started. "There has been yet another attack on the mortals of New York. Yet, our spies have confirmed that the Huntsclan is indeed in Switzerland, meaning they could not have been behind it."

The others stared back at him in shock.

"But…but," Jake stammered, "if it wasn't the Huntsclan, then who was it?"

"I am not sure," Lao Shi replied solemnly. "We must hurry and get back to New York so we can get to the bottom of this."

"Wow," Spud joined in the conversation. "Lately it just seems like one problem after another. I wonder if this all ties together somehow," he put his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm these are the questions that haunt me."

"Jake, come with me," Lao Shi transformed into his dragon form, signaling for Jake to do the same.

After Jake transformed, he leaped into the air after his grandfather, who was pressing some buttons on the weird shopping scanner item, which looked like it had been stolen straight from Wal-Mart.

The scanner began to beep slowly and in a somewhat annoying manner.

"The closer we get to the lake's deepest point, the faster it will beep," Lao Shi explained. "When we reach the area where the stone should be located, it will sound like one long beep rather than several separate ones."

Jake nodded his head and flew alongside his grandfather.

Gradually, the beeping started to get faster and faster, and after about ten minutes, they had found the spot they needed.

"Alright young dragon," Lao Shi spoke, "it is time to retrieve the stone." With that, Lao Shi put the strange top device in the water, and like Fu Dog said it would, it floated above the surface. Then, he pressed a few buttons and motioned for Jake to step back.

The water began to spin, at first slowly, then gradually picking up speed. A funnel formed in the water, and after about three minutes, Jake and Lao Shi could look down the large hole the device had created and see the bottom of the lake.

"So," Jake peered into the darkened hole, "how do I get down there?"

"Dragon wings Jake!" Lao Shi yelled in frustration. Jake did a wonderful job fulfilling his duties as the American Dragon, but sometimes Lao Shi wished he would think a little harder.

"Right," Jake replied, smacking his palm against his forehead. "Flying."

Jake looked from his grandfather to the swirling hole and back again. "Let's do this."

**XX**

**Eh…I think the next chapter will be a little bit more interesting. But hey; gotta build to it somehow! **

**Leave it to me to wait until the very last minute to write this. Once again, this was written in about an hour. Ummm sorry about that. Lol. I'm a busy person. I've got a really big research paper due next week. **

**Written late and fast so apologies for errors.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~ada**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13: The Stone of Aleigha **

"Well, Gramps," Jake looked down into the hole as far as he could see, "if I don't come back, tell my mom I love her," he joked.

Once again, Lao Shi could only shake his head at his grandson. _"I wish he would take this more seriously," he thought. _

Jake gave him one last confident nod before plunging headfirst into the hole.

"It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic," he said to himself as he carefully observed his surroundings. The darkened pit was small. Smaller than what he would've liked. The tiny space didn't allow much room for him to fly. The water was a dark bluish black kind of color as opposed to the soft, calming shade at the surface. It was swirling in circles around him, almost as if it were purposely trying to break the magic of the top-like device his grandfather was using. It was almost as if it wanted to swallow him deep into its treacherous depths.

Jake could definitely sense some magical quality about the lake, but rather than a positive energy, it had more of an eerie feel to it. Some instinct in the back of his mind told him that that was exactly the way Aleigha Theravata had intended it to be. Why though? The answer came to him shortly after. Of course she would have made it dark and unsettling! For if it weren't, what would scare off any unwelcome visitors and prevent them from stealing her stone? But still, Jake couldn't shake off the feeling that something just wasn't right.

Curious as to how far down he was, Jake looked back up toward the surface. He could still see the way in which he had entered. It was but a tiny speck of light in the melancholy darkness of Lake Louise.

A shiver ran up his spine. It was then that he realized how truly cold it was and how badly he just wanted to get the stone and get out before something went wrong.

As he continued on, he felt his surroundings become darker and darker, and he felt the currents surrounding him become stronger and stronger. He was beginning to doubt the strength of the device keeping him dry. How much longer could it hold up against the force of the lake?

After a few more minutes of flying downward, Jake could see a faint glimmer at the bottom. He flew a bit faster, now anxious to reach the lake bed and find this mysterious stone.

As he came closer and closer to the bottom of Lake Louise, the glimmer became brighter and brighter, and looking up, he could no longer see the light from the surface above.

After what seemed like a very long flight, Jake finally reached the bottom, positioning himself so that his feet touched down on the soft sand below. It was then he saw it; for the first time, he saw the source of his magic up close and in detail, but it was far different from what he had expected.

The biggest shock of all was that it looked like nothing but an ordinary rock, condemned to a life underwater by some child who had skipped it across the surface of the lake.

Jake reached his hand out and gently picked it up, noting the imprint it had left in the sand. It was then he realized he was most likely the first person to touch the Stone of Aleigha in over a millennium. For some reason, he was having problems believing that this ordinary little rock was the root to all magic.

Jake glanced back up toward the surface, still beyond his eyesight. It would take him at least ten minutes to get back up, and with Audmira's stone still on the line, he knew they needed to be on their way.

Sneaking one last glance at the stone in his hand, Jake shot back up toward the surface of the lake. Much to his relief, he realized almost instantly that it was easier flying upward. Maybe it wouldn't take him ten minutes after all. . .

He began to wonder how they were getting to the next lake. He was hoping Fu Dog had it all planned out, but something told him that was far from true.

After about five minutes of flying, Jake was already near the surface. After taking a short break to rest his wings, he estimated he had only 30 feet to go until he reached the top. Then, they could move along to the next task.

It was then he once again noticed the force that the underwater currents were generating around him, and yet again he questioned the power of the device in which he trusted his life.

The eerie feeling of the lake again shot through Jake like lightning. By the time he realized something was drastically wrong, it was too late. The walls of water surrounding him began to tremble, and 20 feet of water came crashing down on top of him, sweeping him into the current.

It took him a few seconds to realize what had happened, and he knew sooner or later, he was going to need to breathe.

Jake pushed himself upward with all the strength he had. He knew that he wasn't too far from the surface. With three years of dragon training in his favor, he knew he could make it.

Time went by slowly. 10 seconds…30 seconds…1 minute. It felt like a lifetime.

Looking up, Jake could see the light from the surface. He couldn't be more than 8 feet away now. However, he was becoming dizzy and faint from the lack of oxygen. The colors of the water began to blur, and he knew he didn't have much time left.

He had half a mind to give up and just be washed away with the currents, but something in the back of his head kept him moving upward.

With one final flap of his wings, Jake broke through the surface, breathing in deeply. Air had never felt so good.

Again he felt the world begin to spin, and the bright blue sky was quickly fading.

"Jake!" Someone called out his name as he felt himself revert back to his human form.

It was the last thing he remembered before everything went black.

**XX**

**Honestly, this was kind of hard to write. **

**Sorry about no update last week. Possibly one of the most misfortunate weeks I've had all year. Don't you hate it when that happens? **

**But anyway, my schedule has cleared up a lot. It should be pretty consistent updates from here on out. **

**I don't know if you caught it or not, but there was some MAJOR foreshadowing in this chapter. The whole time I was rereading it I was like "Something bad's gonna happen. Something bad's gonna I guess you'll just have to see what happens next. **

**~ada**


	15. Chapter 15

**Running Out of Time**

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I think he should be…"

"That kid's lucky to be alive."

Jake was vaguely aware of the familiar voices surrounding him. He knew something had happened, he just couldn't remember what. While he was anxious to remember exactly how he had ended up in this state, he just couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. He was too week and too tired.

"That didn't go at all like I expected it too," he heard Fu Dog say.

"Does it ever?" Rose replied.

Jake would have laughed at his girlfriend's response had he been able. It sounded almost like something he would've come up with. But what was it exactly that Fu Dog messed up this time around? Was it his fault he ended up like this?

"Ouch," he heard the dog reply.

"Well we ain't trying that again!" Trixie joined in.

"Totally. We're gonna have to come up with a better idea for the next lake."

_Lake. _The word struck something in Jake's memory. The lake…Lake Louise…the cool top device that apparently wasn't so cool after all. He remembered now; the rush of water sweeping over him. The helpless feeling of being pulled under the raging currents of the lake. But how did he survive? What had he done? Jake tried with all the strength he had left to remember, but nothing else came to him. Nothing but the image of being pulled under.

It was then he noticed just how sore he was. Whatever he had done trying to get himself out of there had really taken its toll. Readjusting his head a little, he let out a groan of pain.

The argument between his friends stopped instantly.

"Did you hear that?" He heard Trixie say.

"He's alive!" Spud threw his hands up dramatically.

At that moment Jake found the strength to open his eyes. Slowly, he lifted his eyelids and looked around the room at the anxious faces of his friends. Everyone was staring at him.

"You okay, kid?" Fu asked.

"I…I think so," Jake's voice came out soft and weak.

"It's a miracle you're alive," he replied, "those currents are pretty strong. I can't believe you made it up to the top."

"I…I did?" Jake asked feebly.

"Yup. I saw it myself," Fu responded almost as if it were an accomplishment.

Then another image flashed in Jake's head; the image of seeing the light at the surface. Breaking through it long enough to take one deep breath before plunging below once more.

It was then Lao Shi took the chance to explain the rest. "After you fell beneath the surface once more, I went in after you. Luckily, you hadn't gone back down more than a few feet. I was able to find you and pull you back to the land."

"And that's how you ended up here," Fu Dog finished off the explanation.

"You're probably sick," Rose added. "That water must be deadly cold this time of year. I still can't believe you ever made it out of there! You must be really hard to bring down…"

At this Jake gave her a cocky grin. "You know it, baby."

Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to the rest of the group. "Yup," she said, "he's perfectly fine."

Jake laughed in response. "How long have I been out?"

"Only about five hours," Fu looked down at his watch. "Our original plan was to leave today, but you're not well enough yet."

"We'll see how you feel tomorrow," Lao Shi added. "If you are feeling alright, we will plan to leave before 10:00. Fu has estimated that we will arrive at Lake Okoboji around 6:00 PM."

"We'll see," Jake mumbled.

"Hey now!" Fu replied. "Let's not be like that!"

Jake shook his head. "Please tell me we aren't using that top device again."

"No," Lao Shi replied. "While it is normally a reliable tool, I do not think we can risk it again. I have a few other methods we could try."

"Okay," Jake replied, satisfied with his Grandfather's answer for the time being.

"But tell me, Jake," Lao Shi continued, "was there anything…strange…about the lake?"

"Yeah," Jake replied almost instantly, rubbing his head. "It almost felt like something was off. It was…eerie."

"But I think it might have just been the magical power that the lake contained," Jake quickly covered up his last statement. After almost losing his life, he did not want to give his grandfather another reason to worry.

Lao Shi nodded, seemingly considering the explanation that Jake had given him. "I guess we will see if West Lake Okoboji is any different."

Jake only nodded in response.

"Aleigha Theravata was always a bit…darker," Fu Dog added. "Audmira was the youngest one. She saw the world in a way her sisters couldn't. I've got a feeling the next lake won't have the same feel to it."

Jake nodded. But he knew that it wasn't just the attitude Aleigha had carried. It was something more. He could feel it. He could feel it as much now as he could when he was being pulled under by the currents. He had had a hunch on his way down to retrieve the stone, but now he knew for sure; the lake was trying to kill him.

Then, something else popped into his mind. "What happened to the stone?" He asked.

"By some lucky chance, you managed to hold onto it the whole time," Fu replied. "When Gramps pulled you up out of the lake, it was still tightly clasped in your hand."

"Wow. I've been lucky today," Jake replied.

"Oh yeah," Trixie replied sarcastically. "Because getting sucked into an evil lake is totally a wonderful thing."

"You know what I meant, Trix," Jake replied smiling.

"You should get some sleep, young dragon," Lao Shi suggested. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

**XX **

**42 minutes flat. :) That's how long it took me to write this. Wow that must be some kind of record! Haven't had much time this week… I've been sick. Actually, I've been sick for the last three weeks. But I went to the doctor so things should be clearing up. **

**So sorry if this seems rushed and unprepared…because it kind of was. But, some things are explained. And again some foreshadowing has been made. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**~ada**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15: A Race to the Finish**

Back at Lake Geneva, Tarah sat quietly on the Huntsclan campsite in a tent that was completely her own. It was almost 8:00 in the morning, and she knew that the Huntsman was eager to leave Switzerland.

They had discovered just yesterday from a reliable Huntsclan spy that the American Dragon was in Canada, meaning that their next destination would be back in the United States.

According to their spy, the American Dragon had not yet left. Jake Long and his master planned to leave sometime today. Therefore, the Huntsman was more anxious than ever to get to Lake Okoboji and get the third and final stone.

While Tarah still thought that the Huntsman's plan wasn't clever at all, she did come to realize that they were at a slight advantage. Jake Long and his friends hadn't the slightest clue they were being spied on, nor did they know that the Huntsclan was aware of their search.

And the funniest part was that they thought that they had the upper hand.

Tarah smiled to herself. Dragons were strange creatures; they were either cunning and clever or as naïve as a child.

Suddenly feeling bored, Tarah turned on the small portable radio next to her bag. She didn't really know what else to do except for pack up. And if the Huntsman hadn't given the word yet, she certainly wouldn't waste time doing it on her own will.

She found a station that was in English and listened in to what the radio announcer was saying.

"_The United States has now officially turned to the magical community for help in discovering who is behind the recent attacks on New York City and how to stop them before more chaos breaks loose."_

Tarah snorted. She wondered how they would feel if they found out a teenage girl was behind these attacks. Or most of them anyway . . . they probably wouldn't have seen that one coming!

"_Yesterday afternoon a riot took place just outside Washington DC. Over 1,000 people gathered together in protest of the rights of magical citizens." _

Again Tarah rolled her eyes. Ever since the magical world had been discovered, the whole world had gone to hell. Some people were against the idea of treating dragons like humans, some were for it. It was causing so many problems not just in the states, but worldwide.

"The world would just be better off without them," Tarah mumbled to herself, reaching to turn off the radio.

It was then that she could hear the Huntsman yelling for everyone to get up and pack up camp.

"I'm leaving here in 30 minutes flat whether you're all ready or not!" She heard him yell.

She sighed and stood up, reaching her arms up to stretch. It would be a long day, and the last thing she wanted to do was to spend it traveling with the Huntsman. He seemed crabbier than ever these days.

Tarah took one last look around the tent before she began to put her belongs in order.

XX

Jake sat up and looked outside the tent. Judging from the position of the sun, he figured it was probably about 8:00 in the morning.

He felt better than he had the night before, but he was incredibly sore and still very tired. After stretching and walking around a bit, he decided he was feeling well enough to leave.

The awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong wasn't going away any time soon. Therefore, he wanted to get out of Lake Louise as soon as possible.

He really hoped that his next experience with a magical lake went a little bit better.

Jake walked outside the tent and looked out at the lake. It looked so beautiful when it wasn't trying to kill him.

"Young dragon," Jake heard his grandfather come up from the tent behind him, "are you feeling well enough to fly?"

Jake nodded. "I think so," he replied simply. His reply was followed by an awkward silence.

"Jake," Lao Shi addressed him worriedly, "I can't help but sense that something is troubling you."

"It's nothing Gramps," Jake replied a little too quickly. "I just want to get out of here is all."

His grandfather nodded understandingly before walking back towards his tent to pack up.

Jake watched Lao Shi until he disappeared behind his tent before sitting down next to the lake. Soon after, Fu Dog came and sat down next to him.

"Did you hear a riot broke out in DC?" The dog asked casually.

"What?" Jake replied. "Why?" He gave the Shar Pei a worried look.

"Something about the magical world," Fu replied.

"Well yeah," Jake rolled his eyes, "everything is these days! Be more specific."

Fu sighed. "I guess some people don't believe that dragons and wizards should have the same rights as a normal human being."

"I see," Jake looked off into the distance, obviously deep in thought.

After a minute or two of silence, he changed the subject. "Is everyone about ready to go?" Jake looked back at his friends rolling up the tents and getting their things together.

"Just about," Fu replied. "We've got a long ways to go today."

"What time do you think we'll be there?" Jake asked quietly.

"Meh, depends on the weather and such. I think we'll be there about 4:00ish. Maybe 3:00 if we fly fast," he answered.

"Have you been there before?"

"I'm 600 years old," Fu shrugged. "I've been just about everywhere there is to be."

"True," Jake mumbled, still not gaining the ability to keep his thoughts straight.

Jake looked back at Lake Louise. The clear blue color on the surface gleamed in the morning sunlight.

"I don't get it," Jake spoke again. "It looks so beautiful on the outside."

Though he didn't specifically say what it was he was talking about, Fu understood. "No kidding. Kind of reminds me of most of my dates."

Jake couldn't help but smile at his animal guardian's comment. He knew it was definitely true. Fu always seemed to know how to cheer him up.

"Jake," Lao Shi called out to him. "We are ready to leave."

Jake stood up and dusted himself off before walking back toward the campsite. Fu Dog followed close behind.

"Well kid," Fu Dog said, "Looks like it's gonna be a race to Lake Okoboji."

"I'm ready."

**XX**

**Yay updates! Wow I think it's been a couple weeks since I've missed an update. It definitely helps that my schedule cleared up a bit. If I don't update next week, it's because my fanfiction time has been turned into essay time. :( I know. I don't like it either.**

**Well, this was kind of another filler chapter. Again. But as always with filler chapters, the next chapter will be much more interesting. *Evil grin.***

**On a side note, it seems like the two parts to this chapter are parallel, both at 8:00 in the morning and such, but keep in mind there is a big time difference between Switzerland and Canada, so they really aren't. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~ada**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16: West Lake Okoboji**

The gang arrived at the lake a little before 4:30, which surprising was only a half hour off of Fu Dog's estimation.

As could be expected for winter, Lake Okoboji was frozen solid. Jake had decided it was even colder than it had been in Canada. He figured it had probably been unseasonably warm back in Alberta. In Iowa, however, it was cold and windy. But for some reason, Jake was relieved to be back in America. He felt a little bit closer to home.

At first glance, the lake really didn't even look like a lake at all. It looked like an ordinary open field of land. However, upon closer inspection, Jake noticed ice fishing campers and snowmobilers spread out across the lake. This had to be the place.

Taking a cautious first step onto the ice, Jake, Lao Shi, Fu Dog, Trixie, Spud, and Rose began to walk towards the center. Lao Shi carried the same device he had used back at Lake Louise to locate the deepest point in the lake. Though this time, he carried different equipment for getting to the bottom.

When they had located the single deepest point of the lake, Fu Dog pulled out a small laser device and aimed it toward the ice.

"Ugh, Fu?" Jake questioned him.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Should we trust you with that thing?" He asked.

"Hey!" Fu Dog replied defensively. "I might not be the most responsible dog in the world, but I have my moments!"

"Trust me," Jake smirked, "we all know."

"I meant GOOD moments, kid," Fu glared back at him.

Fu turned his attention away from Jake and back to the ice. Carefully, or at least, as carefully as an animal guardian of his sort was capable of, he began to cut through the ice. When he had done a full couple of circles, Lao Shi and Jake reached down to pull out the chunk of ice, revealing the dark blue water beneath it.

"Hmmm," Fu peered into the lake, "not quite as clear as I remember it."

"You're telling me!" Jake grimaced, picking up a slimy strand of seaweed.

"Yesh," Fu stared at the seaweed, "I feel bad for whoever is going down there to get that stone."

Everyone turned to look at Jake, who was still looking down into the lake with disgust. (Noble6)

"Erm, good luck, man." Spud tried to console his friend.

"Alright kid," Fu Dog reached down into the big bag of everything. "Since there are so many people here, you're gonna have to pull this off in human form."

"What? But how am I supposed to-"

Fu Dog pulled out a scuba diving suit, which, under normal circumstances, would have never fit into the bag. But with magic, there was always a way, and Jake knew that Fu Dog would always find that way. For heaven's sake, Jake had seen his magical guardian pull a freakin' sink out of his folds before!

"Let me get this straight, Fu," Jake rubbed the back of his head, "you want me to SCUBA DIVE 126 feet to the bottom of the lake?"

"Hold on, kid!" Fu grumbled, somewhat annoyed. "Always the same," he muttered to himself. "Kid jumps to conclusions before I even get the chance to explain."

Then, Fu reached back into the bag and pulled out what appeared to be some sort of jetpack.

"Here is the plan," Fu spoke before Jake could get the chance to interrupt, "you strap this," he motioned to the jetpack, "onto your back. You enter the water, press the button, and BAM, you're on your way to the bottom of the lake."

Jake stared at him blankly. "Must you always bring some ridiculous invention along? Seriously, Fu Dog, there's got to be a better way."

"Calm down, snappypants," Fu replied, "this is what we have, so you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Whatever," Jake shook his head before taking the suit and putting it on. He strapped the jetpack on shortly after.

A man on a snowmobile passed by, giving Jake a strange look as he did so.

Jake sighed. "Alright," he said, "Let's get this over with."

"Remember, kid, I've got a headset in there if anything goes wrong," Fu Dog took the opportunity to pull out a headset of his own. "Press the button, and I'm on the other line and vice versa. Got it?"

"Got it," Jake replied, slowly dipping down into the water. "See you in a few minutes," he situated his jetpack. "Maybe."

With that, he pressed the button and shot down below the surface with lightning speed.

Everyone stared at the empty ice hole in silence.

"Well," Lao Shi spoke, "I guess that is that."

"Guess again, Dragon," the gang spun around to see an entire army of Huntsclan standing behind them.

**XX**

Jake hit the bottom of the lake with a thud.

"Gee," He stood up slowly and rubbed his back, "would have been nice if Fu Dog would have warned me about the landing."

He took a look around. Just like Lake Louise, the currents of West Okoboji were strong. Strangely enough, they didn't seem to be applying any sort of force. Jake assumed the suit had some magical ability that allowed for that. For once, it seemed like Fu Dog had thought of everything.

Remembering his mission, he looked around on the floor of the lake, and he quickly spotted an object. However, he knew right away that it wasn't a stone. It looked like a-

"KID!" Jake jumped as he heard Fu's voice through the headphones.

"May Day! May Day! Get back up here now!"

"Why?" Jake asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"It's the Huntsclan," the dog replied shakily. "There here! They've been here…they've already got the stone!"

"I know," Jake replied quickly, glancing back at the bottom of the lake. "But there's something else here. I think it's a-"

"Kid!" Fu interrupted. "We don't have time for this now! You gotta get back up here! We don't stand a chance without you!"

"On my way, Fu."

**XX**

**Noble6: Gee, I really hope you enjoyed your line! For all who don't know, the cited part belongs to Noble6. :) Also, I hope you liked the sink tidbit I threw in there just for you! :) Feel special.**

**Well well well. It appears this just got a little more interesting. :) Hopefully you've felt it being built up over these last couple of chapters. **

**Thanks for the read!**

**~ada**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17: Already Gone**

Jake looked around the bottom of the lake one last time in hopes of finding the stone. Perhaps Fu Dog had been wrong. It wouldn't hurt anything to take a quick look around. But Jake didn't see anything but sand. There wasn't even a rock in sight. The only thing that was there was the mysterious object he had noticed before.

However, seeing as it was clearly not the Stone of Audmira, Jake decided to forget about it. He fumbled with the jetpack on his back, desperately trying to find the big red button. He had no idea what was going on outside the lake. He was anxious to know who was winning the battle.

Something told him that as long as he wasn't up there, the advantage would be with the Huntsclan.

It was killing him not knowing how many of them there were up there. He had no idea what he would be up against when he made it back.

Before he could do anything productive, however, he would have to get out of the ridiculous suit he was in.

Jake was starting to get frustrated. He was now smacking the jetpack from all angles in attempt to hit the button.

At last, he found the button and pressed it, shooting up like a rocket toward the top of the lake.

**XX**

Meanwhile at the surface of the lake, the gang stood defensively toward the Huntsclan, who currently had them completely surrounded.

There must have been 30 or so Huntsclan up against four people and a magical talking dog. They didn't stand a chance without Jake. Lao Shi was the only dragon present, and he was much too weak to take on the Huntsclan on his own. Lao Shi didn't even think he could hold them off for those few minutes it would take Jake to return.

"Dragon," the Huntsman spoke, clearly not surprised to see them. "We meet again."

Trixie, Spud, Rose, and Fu Dog remained frozen, watching closely as Lao Shi sprung into action.

The elder dragon transformed in the blink of an eye before charging towards the Huntsman with all the strength he had.

The Huntsman, however, simply batted him away with ease.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to make this quick," he spoke evilly. "We've got some business to attend to shortly."

Trixie, Spud, and Fu rushed to Lao Shi's side immediately, while Rose stayed back. She planned to stall long enough for Jake to get there and help. But even if Jake did arrive in time, the two of them together were no match for an army of Huntsclan.

"Rose," the Huntsman spat her name, "how nice to see you again."

Rose didn't reply. She wouldn't let the Huntsman get inside her head. She was stronger than that now. Rather, she remained quiet, standing still in a defensive position.

"What's the matter, Rose?" The Huntsman taunted. "Are you afraid to fight me?"

Once again Rose didn't not reply, forcing herself to tune out his words. His awful, sinister words. That voice would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Well," the Huntsman chuckled, "you have no need to worry. I'll let your replacement take care of you today."

Rose was too confused to fully understand what he meant, and the next thing she knew, she was lying face down in the snow.

Quickly, Rose rolled to the right, barely missing the next blow from the mysterious attacker. Thinking fast, Rose flipped forward and knocked the girl to the ground, finally getting a chance to take a good look at her.

The girl before her was tall, about the same height as herself. She had long black hair that was stick straight and smooth as silk. She might have actually been pretty had she not had that blood thirsty look in her dark brown eyes. Rose secretly hoped that she had never looked that evil. Thinking it through, she realized she had never been quite as aggressive as this new Huntsgirl. This girl appeared to be on the brink of insanity.

Rose had no more time to think as she dodged yet another blast from Huntsgirl's staff.

The only bad thing that had come with switching sides was losing the ability to be aggressive. Since leaving the Huntsclan, Rose had no desire to hurt or kill anyone, even if they had the intent to kill her. Jake had told her many times that she would have to get over it sooner or later or she'd never last in a deadly battle. She knew he was right, but agreeing to be more violent and actually following it through were two completely different things.

"Tarah!" The Huntsman shouted at her. "We don't have time! Finish her!"

Rose took advantage of this distraction, punching Tarah as hard as she could in the gut.

Tarah stumbled back, but she didn't fall.

"You little-" Huntsgirl started, but she was cut off when Rose swung her fist out again, this time missing her target by a couple of inches.

In one swift move, Tarah threw Rose to the ground, clearly satisfied with the hard thud of Rose's head colliding with the now cracked ice.

Rose slowly opened her eyes, tasting blood in her mouth and feeling it trickle down from her forehead. The world seemed to be spinning around her, and she caught glimpse of Tarah smirking above her.

"That wasn't very impressive at all now, was it?" Tarah spoke maliciously, her voice as cold as ice. It was the last thing she heard before her world went black.

"Well done, Huntsgirl," the Huntsman congratulated her in an approving manner. "We'll take her back to the camp with us."

"Oh no you won't!" Trixie shouted, attempting to run toward the unconscious girl. However, she was stopped quickly by two muscular Huntsclan members.

The Huntsman laughed evilly at her attempt. "And YOU'RE going to stop us? Where is your precious dragon now that you need him, huh? He's nothing but a coward."

"Jake's not a coward!" Spud cut in defensively.

The Huntsman chuckled in reply. "Come along, Huntsgirl. We have business to attend to."

"Yes master," Tarah smirked cruelly at the defeated group.

And with one press of a button, the Huntsclan teleported off to another destination with Rose in their possession.

"What did I miss?" Jake came flying out of the ice hole, quickly disposing of his scuba diving attire and returning to human form. "Where is the Huntsclan? What happened?"

"You're too late, kid," Fu Dog replied defeated. "They are already gone."

"Did they take the Stone of Aleigha from us?" Jake asked, still trying to put the pieces together.

"Thankfully, no," Lao Shi replied, now fully recovered from his previous hit. "But they did take something else," he added gravely.

"What?" Jake looked around quickly, and within a few seconds, he knew exactly what his grandfather meant.

"They've got Rose."

**XX**

**Yep. I'm now torturing another character. Wow I'm an evil little person ain't I? :) **

**So here's the deal for next week; I'm gonna be out of town from Thursday through…I dunno Saturday? Sunday? So, if I update, which I might not get the chance to, it'll be on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. I'll try my best, kay? **

**Hmmm I think that's it for this week's update…thanks for reading! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18: Torture and Revenge**

Jake cursed under his breath. He should've known this was coming. No one betrayed the Huntsclan and got away with it.

"Why didn't you help her?" Jake yelled at them. "Where were all of you when she needed back up?"

"Jake," Lao Shi stepped forward calmly, "We did all that we could do."

"There were just too many of them, kid," Fu Dog added solemnly.

"Alright," Jake replied in a calm yet determined voice, "what's the plan? How are we getting her back?"

"Well, kid, do you want the good news or the bad news?" Fu asked.

"Bad news," Jake replied quickly.

"We have no idea where the Huntsclan is, and we don't have the ingredients to make a tracking potion," Fu replied. "Therefore, we really can't go to her and help her."

"The good news," Fu continued before Jake could object, "is that we still have the Stone of Aleigha. The Huntsman won't leave Okoboji without it. He'll come looking for us, and when he does, he'll drag Rose along too."

"But Fu, how do we know they won't kill her?" Jake asked growing somewhat frustrated.

"Back when she first started helping us out, I did a little research on the history of the Huntsclan," Fu took a few steps closer to Jake. "It appears that, unless things have changed over the past 20 or so years, they usually don't kill traitors. Rather, they torture them endlessly."

"Gee," Jake rolled his eyes sarcastically, "THAT makes me feel better."

"In addition, I assume the Huntsman is going to use Rose to blackmail us into giving them the stone," Lao Shi added.

Jake took a deep breath. "Gramps, if that were to happen, what would we do?"

"I do not know," Lao Shi replied quietly. "In the meantime, let us not worry about it too much. We should be focusing on the battle that surely lies ahead."

Jake wanted to keep his focus on helping Rose, but he decided not to object to his grandfather. He'd come to realize over the past few years that, unlike Fu Dog, his grandfather was usually right.

Trixie noticed the look on Jake's face, and put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Jakey," Trixie's voice was optimistic. "Rose is strong. She'll make it through all this."

Jake looked up and gave her a small nod.

He sighed and looked around. It appeared they were still in the middle of the lake, but for someone who didn't know the giant sheet of ice was a frozen body of water, it looked like they were in the middle of nowhere.

Jake sighed and sat down on the ice. "Remind me again why they didn't just put all the power of the magical world into one stone."

"Simple, kid," Fu replied. "The Huntsman would have destroyed our powers weeks ago. This way, the stones are harder to track down."

"And yet, the Huntsman seemed to have no problems finding them," Jake rubbed the back of his head.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Jake changed the subject.

"Simple," Lao Shi answered. "We wait."

**XX**

In a camp five miles outside of Okoboji, the Huntsclan planned away for the upcoming battle for the stones. They had two of the three, but they did not necessarily have the advantage because of them. They did, however, outnumber the dragons greatly, which would ultimately seal there victory and success in eliminating magic once and for all.

Just outside the Huntsclan camp, Rose was down on her knees chained to a wooden post in the ground, the Huntsman grinning at her evilly.

Rose had been at the camp for nearly two hours, and those two hours had been two of the worst hours of her entire life.

She didn't think the Huntsman would kill her, though she was starting to wish he would. He wanted her to see the error of her ways. He wanted to see her suffer.

"Rose," the Huntsman spoke, "how wonderful for you to be with us once more."

His voice sent chills down Rose's spine. She watched carefully as he paced around her slowly, Tarah following closely behind. She tensed up whenever her back was to them, expecting a blow to come at her at any given moment.

He aimed his staff toward her and set it on the "shock" mode. A green laser shot out from the weapon, hitting Rose directly in the heart.

Rose let out a shriek of pain and curled up in a ball. Normally, she had a high tolerance for pain, but this was a kind of pain she had never experienced.

For only having been there a couple of hours, Rose had already undergone countless forms of torture and taunting from all different rankings of the Huntsclan until finally, the Huntsman himself stood before her.

"Tell me Rose," the Huntsman ran his hand along the staff, "do you regret betraying the Huntsclan? Do you wish you could turn back and have absolutely nothing to do with that filthy dragon of yours and his family?" He aimed the weapon at her and once again fired.

Rose whimpered in pain, but managed to respond all the same. "Ja…Jake is a be…better person than you'll ever be!" She clutched her stomach in pain.

"Wrong answer," the Huntsman smirked, pressing the button on his staff once more, this time firing longer than before.

Rose doubled over and screamed in pain. She was becoming nauseous from the constant shocks and such she had been taking bravely for what seemed like a life time.

She curled up in a tight ball, waiting for the next hit to strike. But then she heard the Huntsman say something to her, and she looked up to see his staff lowered to his side.

"I wonder if they are beginning to miss you," the Huntsman smiled maliciously.

Rose didn't like where this was going.

"Perhaps that if I set you free, they could pay me something in return," he added, still making consistent circles around the teenage girl.

"Maybe," he froze in place to look Rose dead in the eye, "maybe a stone, perhaps?"

**XX**

**Yay new chapter! Okay, early update. Yay for all of you. This is just the way things worked out this week. It may seem like forever till my next update because of it, but It'll go faster than you think. ;) Or maybe that's just me that that happens to. **

**I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my reviewers. I just broke 100 reviews last chapter, so thank you all so much for your support! Hope everyone is enjoying this so far! **

**Also make note that this fanfic, WDS, will be a good three chapters shorter than WDF is. That's just the way the plot worked out for this one. The sequel to this will be longer. :) I've already got it outlined. **

**~ada**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19: Tensions Rising**

It had only been a matter of time before the Huntsclan returned once more to the lakeside. It was growing darker as the sun continued to drop down below the horizon. Most of the people on snow mobiles and those ice fishing had left for the night, leaving the lake cold and empty.

Though it was still winter, it wasn't nearly as cold as it usually was. Jake had actually heard a few of the local people talking about how unseasonably warm it was for the time of year. Yet, the lake remained frozen solid. To him, it was still pretty damn cold. But not too cold to put up a good fight. Judging by the looks on the Huntsclan's faces, they felt exactly the same way.

Jake cringed when he saw the Huntsman dragging Rose forcefully along. He wanted to attack instantly, but he knew they needed to wait until the right moment. Losing control of himself was only what the Huntsman wanted to see.

"Dragons," the Huntsman smiled evilly, "we meet again so soon."

Jake didn't reply. Instead, he looked back and forth between the Huntsman and Rose. She didn't look too bad. Maybe a scratch here and there and an occasional bruise. Nothing that couldn't be fixed really. She looked a little tired and maybe a little pale, but she kept the same determined expression as always. She noticed him staring worriedly at her and quickly gave him a reassuring smile, signaling to him that she was alright.

"As it turns out," the Huntsman continued, ignoring the lack of response from the gang, "you have something that I need."

Jake and Lao Shi exchanged a quick glance.

"Coincidentally," he added, "I have something that you need," he yanked Rose forward, taking her by surprise.

Jake didn't need the oracle twins to see what was coming next. He knew it, Lao Shi knew it, any random hobo off the street could've guessed.

"The girl for the stone," the Huntsman proposed.

Jake looked from Lao Shi, to the Huntsman, and finally to Rose, who was shaking her head slowly.

Still to this point, no one in the group had spoken. Jake could feel the tension growing with every passing second. He knew he couldn't stall for much longer. Who knows what would happen to Rose if he didn't figure something out soon.

Again he looked at Rose, who mouthed something to him that looked an awful lot like, "Don't do it, Jake."

He could tell the Huntsman was growing impatient, so he found it best to strike up conversation.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked the Huntsman angrily.

"Simple," he replied, "it's my destiny."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Enough with this destiny crap. Destiny isn't something you're born with. It's something you choose."

Jake was suddenly creeped out by how much he sounded like his grandfather, but he continued anyway.

"Look at Rose," Jake motioned toward his girlfriend, who was still within the tight grasp of the Huntsman. "It was her destiny to slay dragons too. But did that happen?"

"Enough!" The Huntsman shouted. "I've had enough of your chatter, dragon. Give me the stone or I kill her," he motioned to Rose.

Jake panicked. He was running out of ideas. He couldn't decide what meant more to him. Rose or the power of the magical world.

This was one of those moments where his grandfather, however much he had begun to like Rose, would be giving him a long talk about not being selfish and thinking for the good of everyone else.

At the same time, he couldn't let Rose die. Let alone _watch_ her die. He would never forgive himself for not coming up with a better plan. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but the one intelligent talent he did have was being able to think under pressure.

At that moment, Rose tried to break away from the Huntsman's grasp, which only proved to hinder her chance of escaping. He grabbed her arm and through her to the ground with a thud. Jake winced as he heard something crack.

He took a step towards her, but then he realized he may only make matters worse. He could only cringe as he watched the Huntsman force her back up and pull a knife out of his pocket.

"This," he panted, "ends now dragons. You give me the stone or she dies a bloody death here and now."

"Jake, don't do it!" Rose yelled quickly before Jake had a chance to speak.

"Shut your mouth, girl," the Huntsman replied, yanking her closer by her hair and pressing the blade of the knife gently into her neck. Small beads of blood dripped onto her shirt, and at that moment, Jake couldn't take it anymore.

"Don't you ever talk to her like that!" Jake exploded in anger. "Let her go and I'll give you what you want," he added before his enemy could do even more damage.

"Show me the stone," the Huntsman demanded coolly, slowly taking pressure off of Rose's neck.

"Gramps," Jake looked at him pleadingly. Lao Shi knew his grandson wouldn't let Rose die.

Slowly, Lao Shi pulled out the stone of Aleigha and passed it to Jake.

He looked carefully at the Huntsman. "How do I know that if I give you this, you'll let her go?"

"I'm a lot of things, dragon," the Huntsman replied, "but I stay true to my word. Besides, I'd rather not kill the girl. Believe it or not, we were fairly close at one point in time."

Jake stared at him cautiously, not sure what to believe and what not to believe.

Carefully, he held out the stone, and the Huntsman approached slowly, still clutching onto Rose. When he was close enough to the stone, he grabbed it quickly, throwing Rose to the ground in the process.

Jake dropped to his knees to see if she was okay, while Lao Shi launched himself at the Huntsman, the beginning of a long and crucial battle.

**XX**

**Surprise! :D Yay for surprise updates! Why you may ask? Well fanfiction readers, this day, or tomorrow actually since I'm posting this tonight…for tomorrow, is March 29, 2011. The one year birthday of my fanfiction! Yup. I published "Summer Twists" to the site one year ago. So I figured it was a good day for a random update. :D **

**I'm looking at Easter Sunday as the conclusion of this fanfic. Good Friday being the last chapter and the epilogue going up on Easter. Hmmm. Didn't plan for it to work out that way but looks like it might. And it will be quite a bit shorter than WDF. But the sequel will be longer.**

**Still updating Friday. (Unless something drastic happens.)**

**Hope you enjoyed this random update!**

**~ada**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20: Everything to Lose**

While Jake immediately shot down to see if Rose was okay, Lao Shi launched himself forcefully toward the Huntsman, taking him by surprise. The Huntsman's lack of awareness caused him to lose his grip on the stone that Jake had handed him just seconds before.

The stone soared through the air before it landed on the ice with a crack.

Trixie, who had been standing a mere three feet away, dove forward to grab the stone before the Huntsman could.

The Huntsman moved swiftly toward Trixie, but before he could reach her, Jake attacked him from behind.

"Trix!" Jake shouted as he struggled against the Huntsman. "Run! Don't let the Huntsclan get that stone back!"

Trixie nodded and shoved the stone into her coat pocket. As far as she could tell, no one realized that she had recovered the stone apart from the Huntsman. Everyone had already jumped into the battle.

Making sure no one was watching her, she slipped off into some nearby trees and proceeded to watch the fight through the bushes.

**XX**

Rose got up slowly. Despite being endlessly tortured for the past few hours, she felt okay, or at least, in a condition she could still fight in. If the circumstances had been different, she most likely would have sat this one out. But seeing as the Huntsclan clearly had them outnumbered, Rose knew that she would be needed.

She looked around slowly. Lao Shi, Spud, and Fu Dog were attempting to fight off the entire Huntsclan apart from her previous master, whom was being fought by Jake. She decided that Jake was strong enough to handle the Huntsman for the time being. After all, he had faced villains of equal threat or even more.

However, as she turned to join in the brawl, she was knocked down vigorously from behind.

Rolling off to the side before she could be hit again, Rose stumbled to her feet to face her attacker.

"Well," Tarah smirked tauntingly, "you don't appear to be much of a threat now, do you?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I was in the Huntsclan. Do you honestly think that I'm not aware of your fighting secrets?"

Tarah shook her head, staring coolly at Rose. "For the record, were you still in the Huntsclan, I still would've taken your place. I was born to be a leader."

"Fine," Rose replied, balling her fists in a mixture of anger and determination, "I guess we'll see who is still standing in the end."

"I guess we will," Tarah grinned. She didn't hesitate for a split second. She pulled out her staff and swung it at Rose with startling velocity.

Rose ducked reflexively and gave Tarah a strong kick in the shin. Tarah stumbled back before regaining her balance and taking an aimless swing at Rose, missing by at least a couple of inches. Then she pointed her weapon toward Rose and fired, again missing her target.

Growing frustrated, Tarah spun toward Rose and took her by surprise when she dropped her weapon completely. She raised her fist and punched Rose in the face with all her might.

Rose lost her balance and fell onto the ground with force, the back of her head slamming against the ice with a hollow thud. Immediately the taste of blood filled her mouth and extreme nausea swept over her.

Rose felt the ice crack beneath her, and immediately she tried to get up. However, the blow that she had received had made her dizzy, and she only managed to topple back down on the cracked ice again.

Once more, Rose felt the ground beneath her breaking as more blood dripped steadily down her chin. She looked up slowly to see Tarah pointing her staff. However, the weapon was not pointed at her, but towards the broken ice on which she sat.

Reacting quickly, Rose tried to move, but it was too late. The green laser struck the ice, breaking it into pieces. Rose slipped through the cracks into the lake.

Instantly, the icy cold water engulfed her, freezing every muscle in her body. Rose opened her eyes and looked toward the surface. She could see the light shining through the cracked sheet of ice above.

Forcing her cold and aching muscles to work, Rose swam toward the light with the vitality she had left. She broke the surface and took in a deep breath of air only to be pushed back underneath by Tarah's waiting foot.

Rose swallowed a mouthful of the slimy lake water, but she did not give up hope. She once again swam towards the surface, this time fighting against Tarah to get her head above water.

She was becoming numb with each passing second. The temperature of the lake and the lack of oxygen was becoming too much for her to handle.

She was about to give up when she saw a figure come out of nowhere and tackle Tarah to the ground.

Not wasting a second, Rose broke the surface and pulled herself to safety, coughing up water in the process.

While it felt good to breathe again, the biting wind against her soaked clothing almost made her want to jump back in the lake for warmth.

Rose looked over to see Lao Shi battling off Tarah, and she was grateful that he had come to her aid.

Trixie came out of her hiding spot in the bushes and rushed over to her friend's side, throwing a coat over her in the process.

"Thanks," Rose managed to choke out.

"No problem. Girl, you okay?" Trixie asked, her eyes full of concern.

"I think so," Rose smiled reassuringly.

"Oh my God," Trixie looked over to where Spud was standing.

"It appears that he's trying some sort of martial arts," Rose also looked over at Spud, who was surrounded by Huntsclan.

"Trying and failing," Trixie noted as she watched her friend trip over his own feet and stumble to the ground.

"Oh, Lord," Trixie rolled her eyes. "I better go help that boy out. I'll be right back!"

With that, Trixie stood up and rushed over to where Spud had fallen.

Seeing no threat in the surrounding area, Rose allowed herself to relax for a few minutes and catch her breath. Then she would be able to continue fighting once more.

**XX**

**I hate writing battle scenes. Not my favorite… It always takes me some extra time. And surprisingly, I didn't have as much time to write this as I thought I would. **

**Oh but I made time. I made time. **

**Apologies for any mistakes (Wow I just spelled the word "mistake" wrong. Lol. How ironic.) It's late and I've been up since 5:00 am. **

**Thanks!**

**~ada**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 21: The Battle Continues **

Somewhere off in the distance, two hooded figures stood watching the ongoing battle with a wary eye. They had been standing there long enough to see the American Dragon dive down in an attempt to reach the stone of Audmira, and they had remained standing there up to this point. Occasionally they would make a bet on who was going to win and what was going to happen next. Now, however, they found themselves deep in conversation regarding their future plans.

"I, for one, can't believe that either of them is foolish enough to go after the stone," the female spoke in an annoyed tone. "Especially the Huntsclan."

"I think it is safe to say that they are not aware of the curse," the male figure replied simply. "As for the dragons, even if they did get a hold of the stones, what good will they be?"

"You are correct master," she replied, "the stones are virtually useless without the book."

"And we shall find it," he replied confidently, casually moving the bushes to observe the fight. It didn't look like it was going to slow down anytime soon.

"Where do you suppose it is?" The woman questioned him further.

"It's hard to say for sure," her master replied without taking his eyes off of the American Dragon. "You of all people would know."

"And yet I don't," she snapped back, casually twisted the necklace she wore over her cloak. She observed it carefully, completely absorbed in the beautiful red gem before her. She watched thoughtfully as the tiny grains of sand moved back and forth inside of it.

"Don't worry," the man replied, "soon the stones and the book will be ours. And from then on we will be unstoppable."

**XX**

Jake spun around quickly, avoiding yet another ray from the Huntsman's staff. Since the start of the battle, his opponent had been firing nonstop, attacking with all his strength.

Jake, on the other hand, had been more focused on his defensive skills. He knew that they couldn't win unless the Huntsman went down, and for that reason, he decided to wait until his enemy lost momentum to attack. However, every once and awhile, he did manage to throw in an attack of some sort.

Jake saw an opportunity and took it. Flinging his tail around at full speed, he hit the Huntsman in the gut, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Seeing as he was not getting up right away, Jake took a look to his right to make sure that his friends were doing okay.

He glanced over to see Spud, Grandpa, Fu, and…

"Trixie?" He said to himself. "When did she come out of hiding?"

Jake noted that he would need to keep the Huntsman distracted long enough for Trixie to get back into hiding. If the Huntsman got a hold of the stone they were all screwed.

Then, he took the opportunity to look to his left, where he saw Rose and Tarah still going at it. Tarah looked stronger than ever, and he began to worry about Rose. He wasn't sure she was strong enough to fight Tarah all by herself. In addition, Rose would think twice before hurting anyone. Switching sides had truly changed her, and in situations like this, it was not necessarily a good thing.

Jake was pulled out of his train of thought when he saw the Huntsman lunge at him from the corner of his eye. Jake shot up out of his reach and composed himself before flying back down.

He ducked as the Huntsman swung his weapon aimlessly at him once more. After missing the first few times, the Huntsman hit him square in the chest, sending him flying into a tree. He landed on the ground with a thud and groaned in pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see the Huntsman standing over him, holding his staff high above his head in preparation for the kill.

Jake rolled over just as the Huntsman's weapon came down into the tree, wedging its way into the bark.

As his opponent was busy trying to get his staff out of the oak tree, Jake stood up and held onto a tree branch for support. He was dizzy at first, but it passed fairly quickly, and he was ready to go by the time the Huntsman was prepared to attack.

"Give it up dragon," the Huntsman growled as he spun to avoid getting hit by Jake's tail again.

"Never, Huntspunk," He smirked in reply, sending a wave of fire the Huntsman way.

"I will get that stone back no matter what you do," his enemy threatened once more. "There is nothing you can do to stop me," he breathed heavily as he spoke, and his voice sounded like a deep growl. "Once I find that girl you will all be finished!"

Jake once again shot a worried look at Trixie, who still had not gone back into the forest. If the Huntsman saw her, it would be all too easy for him to take her down. That was a major disadvantage of being a human.

Sure, all he really wanted was the stone, but he wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to torment Jake emotionally. Jake was confident that he would hurt or even kill his friend if he was given the chance.

Lost in his worries about his best friend, Jake had forgotten to worry about himself.

The next thing he knew, he felt a hard object hit him at full force, and he felt himself flying though the air. He slammed into a tree branch with startling velocity before plummeting headfirst into the snow.

Upon landing, he felt where the branch had hit him instantly, and he instinctively reached up to touch his forehead.

He looked down at his fingers, startled to see stained red. Jake was all too aware of the blood that dripped from the deep gash in his forehead down his cheek and off of his chin. It trickled into the perfectly white snow below, staining it a blood red.

Before he even had a chance to react, he felt himself being thrown forward again, this time landing headfirst on the ice with such a force that he heard a sickening crack not only from the breaking of the ice, but also from the contact it made with his head.

At this point, Jake couldn't move at all. It was over.

He tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was the blur of colors that was the Huntsman, standing but a mere three feet away from him.

The world was spinning, and at this point, he was fighting to stay conscious. He felt the nausea sweep over him, anxiously awaiting the final blow.

"At last dragon," the Huntsman's cruel voice rang victoriously in his ear, "it ends now."

**XX**

***Puts hands up defensively* Please…don't kill me! I think every fanfiction writer is entitled to have at least one cliff-hanger in every fanfic. Well, we are reaching the climax of our fanfic here, now aren't we? Next chapter is the big one. What will happen? O_O. Lol. **

**The first little section here with the two "hooded figures" (which I personally think it's pretty obvious who it is…but you won't know for sure until the epilogue probably) has a lot of foreshadowing! Just a hint…**

**Anyways, don't worry too much about the cliff-hanger. This fanfic will be a chapter longer than I originally intended for it to be, therefore I am going to try to update Tuesday. If this does not happen, I'm truly sorry, but I'm gonna try my best for another Tuesday/Friday update next week. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~ada **


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22: The Magic of One Thousand Years**

The world was spinning, and at this point, Jake was fighting to stay conscious. He felt the nausea sweep over him as he anxiously awaited the final blow.

"At last dragon," the Huntsman's cruel voice rang victoriously in his ear, "it ends now."

Jake squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that his death would be fast and painless. As he hear the Huntsman fire up his staff and bring it back behind his head, Jake curled up into a ball and waited as the seconds seemed to pass slower and slower.

Just when he thought everything was over, he heard a shrill scream from somewhere off in the distance, shortly followed by Tarah's voice screaming for the Huntsman to get over there as quickly as possible.

Jake sensed that the Huntsman had lowered his staff, and he opened his eyes half way to see what was going on.

The Huntsman had left and was now standing by Tarah, who was holding onto Trixie, and she was not about to let go.

"She has the stone master!" Tarah panted in between sentences. "I saw her run off into the trees awhile back!"

"_She saw too?" Jake thought. "Maybe it was more obvious than I thought." _

"Yes, Huntsgirl," The Huntsman replied impatiently, "I saw it too."

Jake knew whatever was coming next wasn't going to be good. He tried with all his might to get up, but it was no use. He was too tired, defeated, and dizzy to move a muscle. After a few more seconds, he couldn't even keep his eyes open anymore. All that he could do was sit there and listen to the conversation between Tarah and the Huntsman. All that he could do was sit, listen, and pray.

He heard Trixie scream, and once again he forced his eyes open to see what was going on. Immediately, he regretted doing so. The Huntsman had grabbed Trixie out of Huntsgirl's grasp and was now shaking her violently.

"Where," he growled, "is the stone?"

"I d…do..don't have it," Trixie stuttered, still firmly in the enemy's clutches. "I hid it in the trees."

"She lies, master!" Tarah pointed accusingly. "I can sense a liar a mile away."

The Huntsman let out a growl of anger, and before anyone had the chance to say anything else, he threw the girl onto the hard, cold ice with full force.

In the process, the stone of Aleigha fell out of her pocket, and the sound of the magical rock hitting the ice echoed into the cold, winter night.

At least five members of the Huntsclan dove for the stone, while Lao Shi was the only dragon close enough to have a shot. However, he had not been close enough. In the end, Tarah had been the quickest, and she came up with the stone in a matter of seconds.

"Here master!" She placed it in his hands with a grin before stepping back to give her leader some space.

"Excellent work Huntsgirl," He grinned evilly. "Bring me the other stones!" He shouted angrily toward the rest of the Huntsclan. "Are you going to make Huntsgirl do all of the work for you?"

There was a moment of panic as everyone in the Huntsclan searched about for the stone of Audmira and the stone of Aerah. Not moving a muscle, the Huntsman and Tarah reviewed their plans quietly as they waited for the rest of the Huntsclan to bring them what they needed.

In the meantime, Rose had come over to stand by Jake and make sure that he was going to be alright. After all, he had hit his head pretty hard.

Jake sensed her presence and once again opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said weakly.

"Hey yourself," she whispered quietly.

"We're pretty screwed aren't we?" Jake looked around to see Spud, Lao Shi, Fu, and Trixie all being guarded by Huntsclan. Then he realized that they were surrounded by Huntsclan as well.

"Since when do you give up so easily," she smiled.

"Since I can barely keep my eyes open," he replied, his voice hardly a whisper.

Rose didn't reply. Instead, she smiled sadly and brushed her hand against his cheek.

**XX**

Rose jumped back when she saw a green laser shoot into the darkening sky. She flipped around to see the Huntsman standing in front of three stones, similar in color, shape, and texture. Odds were that they hadn't been this close to each other for at least a thousand years. Only God knew how long they had been at the bottom of those lakes.

The Huntsman let out a sinister laugh at his success, causing Jake to stir a little. At the moment, he appeared to be unconscious. Rose reached for his hand without taking her eyes off of Tarah, who was standing a few feet away from her master. Something about that girl scared her even more the Dark Dragon had. She began to wonder if there was something in her past that had made her this way.

"Master," the girl spoke, breaking the Huntsman from his train of thought.

"Yes, Tarah," he replied. He was so pleased that his plan was working that he didn't even care if his apprentice had interrupted him.

"How exactly do you plan on destroying these stones?" She asked, looking at him with a questionable eye. For some reason, she had a feeling this whole plan was going too well to last much longer.

"Hand me my staff, Huntsgirl," he demanded simply.

Tarah obeyed his orders, anxious to see if a simple weapon was good enough to destroy the magic of a thousand years.

Everyone stood still. To the right of the scene, Lao Shi, Fu Dog, Trixie, and Spud waited anxiously, silently praying that the Huntsman's plan would backfire. Not far away, Rose knelt on the ground next to Jake, occasionally checking his pulse to make sure he was going to be okay.

When she saw the Huntsman raise his staff high up into the air, she closed her eyes, and squeezed Jake's hand a little tighter.

For that moment, everything was silent, and no one dared to move a muscle.

However, not long after she had shut her eyes, Rose heard a piercing scream cut through the night, followed what sounded like a staff falling onto the ice with a hollow thud.

Her eyes shot open to see her former master doubled over in pain, but strangely enough, no one else had moved. Rose was now truly confused as to what was going on. Obviously, no one had attacked the Huntsman.

The stones had changed from glowing a bright green to a blood red. The light shinning from the stones reached high into the pitch black sky, and she had no doubt that it could be seen from miles away.

Tarah was now questioning her master over and over again, but she got no response. She also hadn't a clue what was going on.

However, someone did.

**XX**

Fu Dog watched from a distance as the Huntsman fell to his knees at the power of the stones.

"It's true," he turned to Lao Shi.

"Indeed it is," Lao Shi replied in a serious but somewhat relieved tone.

"What's true?" Trixie asked, staring back and forth between Fu Dog and the Huntsman with shock. "You knew that this was going to happen?"

"Not…exactly," Fu Dog replied. "There was an ancient legend…but those tend to be myths, you know."

"What-"

"I'll explain it later," Fu Dog interrupted. He was anxious to see what was coming next. Exactly how much of the legend was true?

"It's kinda pretty," Spud pointed to the laser, lost in his own little world as usually. Even in the middle of a life or death battle, Spud could only be Spud.

"That," Fu answered, "is a laser of death."

Spud just shrugged. "Doesn't mean it can't be pretty."

The Huntsclan was now in a panic mode as their master's cries of pain became louder and more frequent. No one had a clue what was going on or how to fix it, and the Huntsman couldn't spit a word out to save his life. No one knew exactly what kind of pain he was going through.

Then, the Huntsman let out one last earsplitting scream before something happened that not even Fu Dog or Lao Shi had seen coming.

The Huntsman, who at this point was balled up on the ground, got a full blast of the laser that was beaming out of the extraordinary stones, and within a few seconds, he simply went up in flames.

The night was once again silent, and the blood red beam of light had disappeared into the night.

For what seemed like the longest time, nobody moved a foot or spoke a word.

"Let's get the hell out of here," a member of the Huntsclan spoke, taking one look at the stones, which were still smoking from the heat.

"Agreed," Tarah spoke up strongly.

With that, everyone pulled out their staffs and transported out of Okoboji, leaving behind the disaster that had taken place.

After the Huntsclan was gone, it was silent once more for a few more seconds as the weight of the situation came crashing down. They had gotten past this battle, but it had not been a pretty one.

Lao Shi and the others migrated to where Rose knelt beside Jake, who was still unconscious and had been throughout the entire incident with the Huntsman.

"We should get out of here…" Fu broke the silence.

Lao Shi nodded his head quietly. It had certainly been a long night.

**XX**

**I'll be honest...I'm not sure how well this is edited...I was trying to get it up before the site went all bananas again! Man this stupid site...**

**So, umm a quick little update here...not sure if I'm gonna update Friday or not. Gotta really busy week this week with lots of school projects and community service (for a neighboring town that was ripped apart by a tornado). I'll try my best...And we'll see what happens from there. If I don't update Friday, I'll update Tuesday of next week, and then that Friday will be the last chapter. (With the Epilogue on Easter Sunday...Maybe...Maybe sooner...I might be busy on Easter.) **

**And don't worry...if you're confused, then my work is done! :) It'll be explained in the next chapter what went down with the stones...**

**That's all for now! **

**~ada**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 23: A Plan to Protect**

The morning sunlight poured through the open window and into the full, but comfortable hospital wing, quietly signaling that dawn had arrived. However, not so quietly, a family of birds flew by the very same window crowing as loud as possible for a bird of that size.

This, however, is what had caused Jake to stir in his sleep, and within minutes, he was aware that he had woken up, though he didn't quite remember what had happened.

It took him a minute or two to open his eyes, and when he did, his surroundings only confused him more.

He was in a hospital wing of some sort. There were beds lined along the wall, and carts of medicine, towels, and other medical supplies were scattered throughout the large room.

It was then he noticed the other people in the room with him. Fu Dog was snoring rather loudly on the edge of his mattress, and the next four beds down contained Trixie, Spud, Rose, and his grandfather. They were all still sleeping.

Then, the events of the previous battle came back to him slowly, and he remembered the wound that he surely would have on the back of his head. He reached up to find a bandage wrapped all the way around his head, and it was painful to touch. He couldn't remember just how much it had hurt at the time.

But what had happened? Had he blacked out?

Jake had no recollection of how the fight had ended. As all the other details came back to him, he still couldn't remember how it had gone down.

In addition, he hadn't the slightest clue where he was at or how he had even gotten there to begin with.

He shrugged it off, knowing that if his friends and family were there, then he was safe.

Just as he had begun to drift back to sleep, Fu Dog rolled over off of his bed and hit the floor with a clunk, followed by a short yelp.

"I'm okay!" He called out to no one in particular.

Jake rolled his eyes at his animal guardian.

Meanwhile, Fu got up and took a quick look around only to find that everyone was still asleep except for-

"Hey, kid!" Fu Dog hopped back up on the bed enthusiastically. "Glad to see that you're doing all right! Didn't mean to wake you up or anything."

"I was already awake," Jake croaked, surprised at how weak his voice was. "How long have I been out?"

"Eh," Fu Dog shrugged as if it weren't a big deal, "only about a month."

"A MONTH?" If Jake's eyes hadn't been fully opened when Fu Dog fell off the bed, they were now.

"Relax, kid," Fu laughed, "I was only kidding. It's only been three days."

Jake sighed in a mixture of relief and annoyance. "Why do you always feel the need to do that?"

"It's part of my job," the dog replied with a grin.

"As my guardian?"

"As you're friend," Fu Dog replied, "besides, someone's gotta keep things interesting from time to time. That's why the old man picked me up in the first place."

"Oh," Jake replied clearly unconvinced, "I thought you followed him home and begged him to take you in."

"Hey!" Fu shouted defensively. "Let's not go there!"

Jake shook his head. Fu Dog _did_ certainly keep things interesting…more all the time than just some of the time.

Jake took another quick look around at the hospital quarters. "Where exactly are we anyway? And what happened at the end of the battle?"

"Well," the animal guardian took a couple seconds to think, "there is a lot I need to explain to you then."

A short silence fell in which neither said a word.

"Well?" Jake threw his hands up.

"Gee," Fu said defensively, "I'm just trying to think of how I'm going to word this," he once again fell silent.

"First off," he continued, "we are on the Isle of Draco in the hospital wing."

"I didn't know they had a hospital wing," Jake interrupted.

"Yup," Fu looked around and observed the place. "It's kind of like Hogwarts for dragons."

Jake tried to reply, but he was cut off instantly by Fu Dog.

"Kid, just don't ask any more questions till after I am done explaining."

He took a deep breath before going into a lengthy description of the fight from his point of view, including what Jake already knew as Fu wasn't quite sure when Jake had passed out.

"And once the Huntsman got a hold of the stones," he continued, making the story as intense as possible. Jake noted how he always seemed to do that, "they started to glow green at first, but then, all of a sudden, they turned bright red, and the Huntsman literally went up in flames! It was then that I knew that the legend was true."

"What legend?" Jake asked, clearly confused.

"What did I say about questions, kid?" Fu shot back. "I'm getting to that."

"Anyways," Fu Dog continued to drag the story out, "when I was just a pup, only about 121 or so years old, I first learned of the magical stones controlling the powers of the magical world. I also heard of a legend that day. A legend which stated that any human, that is, person that lacks the powers of magic, would perish at the touch of the stones. Until a few nights ago, no one knew whether or not this was true," he concluded.

"So that's it?" Jake asked, truly hoping that Fu was done. "Because the Huntsman touched the stone, he's gone forever?"

"Theoretically," Fu Dog added. "Then again, he's been brought back once. Who's to say that it won't happen again?"

"Let's certainly hope not," Jake replied, "I've had enough of that punk."

"Any more questions?" Fu asked as if he were some sort of expert on the subject.

"Yeah," Jake replied, "I do have one more." He nodded his head over to the others. "Is everyone okay? No one was seriously hurt or anything, right?"

"At the end of the day, you were the only one unconscious," the animal guardian answered. "We were all worried about you, but everyone else is okay. We all suffered some minor injuries," he added, "but everyone is going to be just fine. We are going to be headed back to New York either tomorrow or the day after. We have to arrange things with the council as far as the stones go."

"Yeah," Jake added thoughtfully, "this isn't like Harry Potter where we can just destroy the stones like they did to the Sorcerer's Stone."

"Okay, kid," Fu replied, "quit talking geek. But yes, they can't be destroyed, therefore they must be protected."

"So what's the plan?"

"The council will probably figure something out," Fu stretched out on the mattress. "I don't think they will bother putting them back in the lakes. Too obvious and frankly too old school anymore."

Jake sighed. "So where do we go from here?"

"Not quite sure," the Shar Pei replied. "I guess we just have to wait and see."

**XX**

**Sorry I didn't get the chance to update Friday. It was a bad week last week. Quite honestly, I had the time to write, but I just couldn't sit down and do it. I'm actually looking to finish this up quicker than expected. Maybe post the epilogue on Friday and the last chapter somewhere in between? I guess I'll have to see…I'd wait till everyone that normally reviews reviewed so that I wouldn't be getting ahead of anyone. **

**Sorry for grammar errors and such…it's late and my eyes hurt. Lol. See how I always have some sort of excuse? Really, I'm just a girl. I'm bound to make mistakes. So yeah. Sorry. Lol. I'll fix it if you want and you find something. **

**As usually, I greatly appreciate your time! **

**~ada**


	25. Chapter 25

**I've actually combined the last chapter and the Epilogue, so this is it. Sorry it took me awhile to get it up…my hands were hurting me. Lol. That sounds like a lame excuse but it's the truth.**

**Chapter 24: Headed for Home**

The days following the encounter passed by slowly, but to Jake, it was as relaxing as ever. This was the first time since the first mention of the stones that he had felt truly at peace. It had certainly been a long couple of months, and he was glad that everything had turned out okay in the end. No one had gotten hurt. At least not permanently hurt.

Everyone had been glad to see him healthy and awake when they had woken up to the sound of him and Fu Dog talking.

"You better be gettin' some reward from the FBI or something," Trixie casually joined in on the conversation. "After all that we've been through these past few weeks."

"Yeah dude," Spud chimed in, "if they don't trust you guys now, I don't think they ever will."

"I just heard our story on tv a few minutes ago," Rose added. "I guess it's gone nationwide now."

Jake sighed. "We haven't really heard much lately about what's going on with all these anti-magic riots."

"Well, dude, we really haven't had access to a tv for a few days," Spud plopped down on the couch and changed the channel.

"What happened to the stones?" Rose suddenly asked. She had been so worried about Jake that she completely forgot about what they had been fighting for in the first place.

"The Council locked them up somewhere I believe," Jake replied. "They didn't really tell us. I guess it's top secret."

"That's ridiculous," Rose huffed. "You recovered them in the first place!"

Jake shrugged in reply and took a look out the window. It was a perfectly sunny day, and he felt that it reflected his mood quite nicely. It was warm on the island, while in New York, winter had been never ending.

"Maybe it's better if no one knows," Jake answered. "That way, no one can tell anyone else who may be looking for them in the future.

"I guess so," Rose replied quietly, and the conversation fell silent.

"I'm glad you're okay," Jake broke the silence and gently squeezed her hand.

"I guess I'm glad that you're okay too," she grinned in return. "It would be a pretty boring world without you," she added quietly. They made eye contact and slowly inched towards each other until their lips were almost touching when-

"NOOOOOOOO!" Spud shouted at the television. "Don't die, Johnny! Hang in there buddy! Stay Gold! Stay…gold!"

Jake and Rose jumped back almost instantly and shot a look a Spud. Jake shook his head, somewhat annoyed, yet somewhat amused.

"And Spud," Rose rolled her eyes. "It would be a pretty boring world without Spud too."

"Dude," Jake called out to his friend, "it's just a movie."

In return, Spud let out a small sniffle. "I keep thinking it'll end differently, but my words appear to have no effect."

Jake was about to reply when Lao Shi stepped into the room, Fu Dog following close behind.

"Is everyone ready to go home?" Lao Shi asked the group of teenagers. Everyone simply nodded in reply.

"It feels strange to be going home," Rose stood up and took one last look at the place. The island was truly beautiful.

"I'm not going home," Spud quoted dramatically, "not really."

"I'm just glad all this is over with," Jake added ignoring Spud's comment as they headed toward the door.

It felt good not to worry for a change. The Huntsman was gone, the stones were safe, and they were headed for home.

Jake smiled happily.

For what could there possibly be to worry about?

**XX**

Yanak banged his hands against the table in frustration and spun around quickly to look his assistant dead in the eye.

"You must have some idea where it is at!" In all his anger, his voice came out shaky and barely above a whisper.

"I've told you," Chang replied boldly, "I don't know. If I had had any idea where it was at, I would've told you months ago when the Huntsclan first began the search for the stones," she defended herself. She took a couple steps back before adding, "I haven't a clue where to look."

Yanak sighed and took a look around in the old warehouse that had become their quarters many months ago. While they had done their best to clean the place up, it remained filthy and rundown, which was most likely the result of them being gone almost constantly. Between hunting down the scattered Dark Mafia members, hunting down the object that they so desperately desired, and spying on the American Dragon, they had spent very little time plotting their comeback.

They had even tried framing that cold and heartless Huntsgirl. In addition to spying on Jake Long, they had found time for spying on the Huntsclan, and they were well aware of the murders Tarah had committed. While they were 99% sure that neither the dragons nor the Huntsclan knew about the book, they'd rather get the Huntsclan out of the way anyhow. Chang had tried her best to attack innocent humans the way Tarah had, and she had tried to leave behind as much evidence as possible to point law enforcement toward the Huntsclan. However, the morons that they hired to solve the crime had simply given up without a second thought.

"I don't see why you are in such a hurry to get the book," Chang could tell that Yanak was fighting to restrain his anger. "We've been spying on the American Dragon for months now. No one has mentioned anything about the book," Chang added persuasively. "I am sure not a soul apart from us knows of its existence."

She was relieved to see his shoulders relax. He appeared to be carefully digesting the words that she had spoken. Seeing this, she added, "We have all the time in the world."

Her master took a deep breath before replying. "I know we have time, Chang," he spoke steadily, clearly having calmed down after his sudden outburst. "I'm just sick of waiting."

"Keep in mind that we must also find the stones," she added. "I heard Jake Long mention something about the council locking them up tight. We need to find someone who is good at breaking in."

At this, a slow smile spread across Yanak's face. "I know just the person for the job."

Chang, however, had no idea to whom her master could be referring. Who, apart from the members they had gathered from the original Dark Mafia, would want to join them?"

"That Huntsclan apprentice was far too good to be in the Huntsclan," he started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I watched her fight back on Lake Okoboji, and I definitely know cold-blooded killer when I see it."

"Master, I don't think we-"

"We can convince her," he interrupted with confidence. "We will find a way. She wants more than what the Huntsclan can give her," he looked down at his hands, feeling the thirst for power run through his very veins, "I can feel it."

Chang nodded in obedience. "It's worth a try."

"Excellent," Yanak grinned maliciously, "once we find that book and those stones, the American Dragon will never even know what hit him."

**XX**

**I'm a Harry Potter freak…therefore, all of the random references. B) **

**Wow…there was a lot of stuff revealed in this final chapter, huh? Any questions? Just ask. Personally, I thought it was totally obvious Yanak and Chang were the ones spying on Jake. I didn't want to just take characters out of an entire fanfic…**

**Well, that concludes When Death Strikes! I guess it's time to thank you people. **

**A big thanks to Onej6, Noble6, Hezpeller, Fudogg, Flowerstar, Luiz4200, Wolvmbm, Rik, Jonathan, Andrew, TrickedPast, and Sarah. **

**I think I got everyone. Well, since this is the last of it, I'd appreciate any reviews (even if you haven't reviewed before. Lol). Just a quick little comment would be fine. But don't feel pressured. I'm not a review Nazi or anything. **

**Again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! As of now, my sequel release date is May 27, 2011. **

**Till then,**

**~ada69**


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